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JOHN  S.  TERRY 

CLASS  OF  1918 


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THERE     WAS     A      MOMENT     OF     WAITING,     AND      THEN      CAMS 

A    THUNDERING     ROAR.— Page   163. 
Tom  Swift  and  His  Aerial  Warthip. 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS 
AERIAL  WARSHIP 

OR 

The  Naval  Terror  of  the  Seas 


BY 

VICTOR  APPLETON 

-WTHOR  OF  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR   CYCLE,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS 

PHOTO  TELEPHONE,"  "THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  SERIES,'.* 

"THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  SERIES,"  ETC 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 

Made  in  the  United  States  of  Americc 


Books  by  victor  appletcn 


THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 


THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  SERIES 

THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  WEST 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  ON  THE  COAST 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  THE  JUNGLE 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  IN  EARTHQUAKE 

LAND 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  AND  THE  FLOOD 
THE  MOVING  PICTURE  BOYS  AT  PANAMA 


THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  SERIES 

THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  FIRST  VENTURE 
THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  AT  SEASIDE  PARK 
THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  ON  BROADWAY 
THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  OUTDOOR  EXHI- 
BITION 
THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS'  NEW  IDEA 
THE  MOTION  PICTURE  CHUMS  AT  THE  FAIR 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PTJBMSHERS  NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1915,  by 
GROSSET  &    DUNLAP 


Tom  Swift  and  His  Aerial  WarsM? 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    Tom  Is  Puzzled I 

II    A  Fire  Alarm 10 

III  A  Desperate  Battle ig 

IV  Suspicions    .„.,., 28 

V    A  Queer  Stranger » 3? 

VI    The  Aerial  Warship 48 

VII    Warnings  58 

VIII    A  Suspected  Plot 69 

IX    The  Recoil  Check 75 

X    The  New  Men 84 

XI    A  Day  Off 93 

XII    A  Night  Alarm 104 

XIII  The  Capture 113 

XIV  The  First  Flight 120 

XV    In  Danger  129 

XVI    Tom  Is  Worried 138 

ICVII    An  Ocean  Flight 147 


iv  CONTENTS 

SHAPTER  PAGS 

XVIII  In  a  Storm 158 

XIX  Queer  Happenings 167 

XX  The  Stowaways   175 

XXI  Prisoners 183; 

XXII  Apprehensions 190 

XXIII  Across  the  Sea 197 

XXIV  The  Lightning  Bolt 203 

XXV  Freedom .«  211 


TOM    SWIFT    AND    HIS 
AERIAL    WARSHIP 


CHAPTER  I 


TOM   IS   PUZZLED 


"What's  the  matter,  Tom?  You  look  rather 
blue!" 

"Blue!  Say,  Ned,  I'd  turn  red,  green,  yellow, 
or  any  other  color  of  the  rainbow,  if  I  thought 
it  would  help  matters  any." 

"Whew!" 

Ned  Newton,  the  chum  and  companion  of  Tom 
Swift,  gave  vent  to  a  whistle  of  surprise,  as  he 
gazed  at  the  young  fellow  sitting  opposite  him, 
near  a  bench  covered  with  strange-looking  tools 
and  machinery,  while  blueprints  and  drawings 
were  scattered  about. 

Ranged  on  the  sides  of  the  room  were  models 
of  many  queer  craft,  most  of  them  flying  ma- 
chines of  one  sort  or  another,  while  through  the 

I 


2       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

open  door  that  led  into  a  large  shed  could  be  seen 
the  outlines  of  a  speedy  monoplane. 

"As  bad  as  that,  eh,  Tom?"  went  on  Ned.  "I 
thought  something  was  up  when  I  first  came  in, 
but,  if  you'll  excuse  a  second  mention  of  the  color 
scheme,  I  should  say  it  was  blue — decidedly  blue. 
You  look  as  though  you  had  lost  your  last  friend, 
and  I  want  to  assure  you  that  if  you  do  feel  that 
way,  it's  dead  wrong.  There's  myself,  for  one, 
and  I'm  sure  Mr.  Damon " 

"Bless  my  gasoline  tank!"  exclaimed  Tom, 
with  a  laugh,  in  imitation  of  the  gentleman  Ned 
Newton  had  mentioned,  "I  know  that!  I'm  not 
worrying  over  the  loss  of  any  friends." 

"And  there  are  Eradicate,  and  Koku,  the  giant, 
just  to  mention  a  couple  of  others,"  went  on  Ned, 
with  a  smile. 

"That's  enough!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "It  isn't 
that,  I  tell  you." 

"Well,  what  is  it  then?  Here  I  go  and  get  a 
half-holiday  off  from  the  bank,  and  just  at  the 
busiest  time,  too,  to  come  and  see  you,  and  I  find 
you  in  a  brown  study,  looking  as  blue  as  indigo, 
and  maybe  you're  all  yellow  inside  from  a  bilious 
attack,  for  all  I  know." 

"Quite  a  combination  of  colors,"  admitted 
Tom.  "But  it  isn't  what  you  think.  It's  just  that 
I'm  puzzled,  Ned." 


TOM  IS  PUZZLED  3 

"Puzzled  ?"  and  Ned  raised  his  eyebrows  to  in« 
clicate  how  surprised  he  was  that  anything  should 
puzzle  his  friend. 

"Yes,  genuinely  puzzled." 

"Has  anything  gone  wrong  ?"  Ned  asked.  "No 
one  is  trying  to  take  any  of  your  pet  inventions 
away  from  you,  is  there?" 

"No,  not  exactly  that,  though  it  is  about  one  of 
my  inventions  I  am  puzzled.  I  guess  I  haven't 
shown  you  my  very  latest;  have  I,  Ned?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  Tom.  Time  was  when  I 
could  keep  track  of  you  and  your  inventions,  but 
that  was  in  your  early  days,  when  you  started  with 
a  motorcycle  and  were  glad  enough  to  have  a 
motorboat.  But,  since  you've  taken  to  aerial 
navigation  and  submarine  work,  not  to  mention 
one  or  two  other  lines  of  activity,  I  give  up.  I 
don't  know  where  to  look  next,  Tom,  for  some- 
thing new." 

"Well,  this  isn't  so  very  new,"  went  on  the 
young  inventor,  for  Tom  Swift  had  designed  and 
patented  many  new  machines  of  the  air,  earth 
and  water.  "I'm  just  trying  to  work  out  some 
new  problems  in  aerial  navigation,  Ned,"  he  went 
on. 

"I  thought  there  weren't  any  more,"  spoke  Ned, 
soberly  enough. 

"Come,  now,  none  of  that!"  exclaimed  Tom, 


4       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

with  a  laugh.  "Why,  the  surface  of  aerial  navi- 
gation has  only  been  scratched.  The  science  is 
far  from  being  understood,  or  even  made  safe,  not 
to  say  perfected,  as  water  and  land  travel  have 
been.    There's  lots  of  chance  yet." 

"And  you're  working  on  something  new?" 
asked  Ned,  as  he  looked  around  the  shop  where 
he  and  Tom  were  sitting.  As  the  young  bank 
employee  had  said,  he  had  come  away  from  the 
institution  that  afternoon  to  have  a  little  holiday 
with  his  chum,  but  Tom,  seated  in  the  midst  of 
his  inventions,  seemed  little  inclined  to  jollity. 

Through  the  open  windows  came  the  hum  of 
distant  machinery,  for  Tom  Swift  and  his  father 
were  the  heads  of  a  company  formed  to  manu- 
facture and  market  their  many  inventions,  and 
about  their  home  were  grouped  several  buildings. 
From  a  small  plant  the  business  had  grown  to  be 
a  great  tree,  under  the  direction  of  Tom  and  his 
father. 

"Yes,  I'm  working  on  something  new,"  admit* 
ted  Tom,  after  a  moment  of  silence. 

"And,  Ned,"  he  went  on,  "there's  no  reason 
why  you  shouldn't  see  it.  I've  been  keeping  it  a 
bit  secret,  until  I  had  it  a  little  further  advanced, 
but  I've  got  to  a  point  now  where  I'm  stuck,  and 
perhaps  it  will  do  me  good  to  talk  to  someonf 
about  it." 


TOM  IS  PUZZLED  5 

"Not  to  talk  to  me,  though,  I'm  afraid.  What 
I  don't  know  about  machinery,  Tom,  would  fill 
a  great  many  books.  I  don't  see  how  I  can  help 
you,"  and  Ned  laughed. 

"Well,  perhaps  you  can,  just  the  same,  though 
you  may  not  know  a  lot  of  technical  things  about 
machines.  It  sometimes  helps  me  just  to  tell  my 
troubles  to  a  disinterested  person,  and  hear  him 
ask  questions.  I've  got  dad  half  distracted  trying 
to  solve  the  problem,  so  I've  had  to  let  up  on  him 
for  a  while.  Come  on  out  and  see  what  you  make 
of  it." 

"Sure,  Tom,  anything  to  oblige.  If  you  want 
me  to  sit  in  front  of  your  photo-telephone,  and 
have  my  picture  taken,  I'm  agreeable,  even  if  you 
shoot  off  a  flashlight  at  my  ear.  Or,  if  you  want 
me  to  see  how  long  I  can  stay  under  water  with- 
out breathing  I'll  try  that,  too,  provided  you  don't 
leave  me  under  too  long.  Lead  the  way — I'm 
agreeable  as  far  as  I'm  able,  old  man." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  anything  like  that,"  Tom  answered 
with  a  laugh.  "I  might  as  well  give  you  a  few 
hints,  so  you'll  know  what  I'm  driving  at.  Then 
I'll  take  you  out  and  show  it  to  you." 

"What  is  it — air,  earth  or  water?"  asked  Ned 
Newton,  for  he  knew  his  chum's  activities  led 
along  all  three  lines. 

"This  happens  to  be  air." 


6       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"A  new  balloon?" 

"Something  like  that.  I  call  it  my  aerial  war- 
ship, though." 

"Aerial  warship,  Tom!  That  sounds  rather 
dangerous !" 

"It  will  be  dangerous,  too,  if  I  can  get  it  to 
work.    That's  what  it's  intended  for." 

"But  a  warship  of  the  air !"  cried  Ned.  "You 
can't  mean  it.  A  warship  carries  guns,  mortars, 
bombs,  and " 

"Yes,  I  know,"  interrupted  Tom,  "and  I  ap- 
preciate all  that  when  I  called  my  newest  craft  an 
aerial  warship." 

"But,"  objected  Ned,  "an  aircraft  that  will 
carry  big  guns  will  be  so  large  that " 

"Oh,  mine  is  large  enough,"  Tom  broke  in. 

"Then  it's  finished !"  cried  Ned  eagerly,  for  he 
was  much  interested  in  his  chum's  inventions. 

"Well,  not  exactly,"  Tom  said.  "But  what  I 
was  going  to  tell  you  was  that  all  guns  are  not 
necessarily  large.  You  can  get  big  results  with 
small  guns  and  projectiles  now,  for  high-powered 
explosives  come  in  small  packages.  So  it  isn't 
altogether  a  question  of  carrying  a  certain  amount 
of  weight.  Of  course,  an  aerial  warship  will 
have  to  be  big,  for  it  will  have  to  carry  extra 
machinery  to  give  it  extra  speed,  and  it  will  have 
to  carry  a  certain  armament,  and  a  large  crew 


TOM  IS  PUZZLED  ; 

will  be  needed.  So,  as  I  said,  it  will  need  to  be 
large.     But  that  problem  isn't  worrying  me." 

"Well,  what  is  it,  then?"  asked  Ned. 

"It's  the  recoil,"  said  Tom,  with  a  gesture  of 
despair. 

"The  recoil  ?"  questioned  Ned,  wonderingly. 

"Yes,  from  the  guns,  you  know.  I  haven't 
been  able  to  overcome  that,  and,  until  I  do,  I'm 
afraid  my  latest  invention  will  be  a  failure." 

Ned  shook  his  head. 

"I'm  afraid  I  can't  help  you  any,"  he  said. 
""The  only  thing  I  know  about  recoils  is  connected 
With  an  old  shotgun  my  father  used  to  own. 

"I  took  that  once,  when  he  didn't  know  it," 
Ned  proceeded.  "It  was  pretty  heavily  loaded, 
for  the  crows  had  been  having  fun  in  our  corn- 
field, and  dad  had  been  shooting  at  them.  This 
time  I  thought  I'd  take  a  chance. 

"Well,  I  fired  the  gun.  But  it  must  have  had  a 
double  charge  in  it  and  been  rusted  at  that.  All 
I  know  is  that  after  I  pulled  the  trigger  I  thought 
the  end  of  the  world  had  come.  I  heard  a  clap 
of  thunder,  and  then  I  went  flying  over  backward 
into  a  blackberry  patch." 

"That  was  the  recoil,"  said  Tom. 

"The  what?"  asked  Ned. 

"The  recoil.  The  recoil  of  the  gun  knocked 
you  over." 


8       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"Oh,  yes,"  observed  Ned,  rubbing  his  shoulder 
in  a  reflective  sort  of  way.  "I  always  thought 
it  was  something  like  that.  But,  at  the  time  I 
put  it  down  to  an  explosion,  and  let  it  go  at 
that." 

"No,  it  wasn't  an  explosion,  properly  speak- 
ing," said  Tom.  "You  see,  when  powder  ex- 
plodes, in  a  gun,  or  otherwise,  its  force  is  exerted 
in  all  directions,  up,  down  and  every  way." 

"This  went  mostly  backward — in  my  direc* 
tion,"  said  Ned  ruefully. 

"You  only  thought  so,"  returned  Tom.  "Most 
of  the  power  went  out  in  front,  to  force  out  the 
shot.  Part  of  it,  of  course,  was  exerted  on  the 
barrel  of  the  gun — that  was  sideways — but  the 
strength  of  the  steel  held  it  in.  And  part  of  the 
force  went  backward  against  your  shoulder, 
That  part  was  the  recoil,  and  it  is  the  recoil  of 
the  guns  I  figure  on  putting  aboard  my  aerial  war- 
ship that  is  giving  me  such  trouble." 

"Is  that  what  makes  you  look  so  blue?"  asked 
Ned. 

"That's  it.  I  can't  seem  to  find  a  way  by  which 
to  take  up  the  recoil,  and  the  force  of  it,  from  all 
the  guns  I  want  to  carry,  will  just  about  tear  my 
ship  to  pieces,  I  figure." 

"Then  you  haven't  actually  tried  it  out  yet?'" 
asked  Ned. 


TOM  IS  PUZZLED  9 

"Not  the  guns,  no.  I  have  the  warship  of  the 
air  nearly  done,  but  I've  worked  out  on  paper  the 
problem  of  the  guns  far  enough  so  that  I  know 
I'm  up  against  it.  It  can't  be  done,  and  an  aerial 
warship  without  guns  wouldn't  be  worth  much, 
I'm  afraid." 

"I  suppose  not,"  agreed  Ned.  "And  is  it  only 
the  recoil  that  is  bothering  you?" 

"Mostly.  But  come,  take  a  look  at  my  latest 
pet,"  and  Tom  arose  to  lead  the  way  to  another 
shed,  a  large  one  in  the  distance,  toward  which  he 
waved  his  hand  to  indicate  to  his  chum  that  there 
was  housed  the  wonderful  invention. 

The  two  chums  crossed  the  yard,  threading 
their  way  through  the  various  buildings,  until 
they  stood  in  front  of  the  structure  to  which  Tom 
had  called  attention. 

"It's  in  here,"  he  said.  "I  don't  mind  admit- 
ting that  I'm  quite  proud  of  it,  Ned;  that  is, 
proud  as  far  as  I've  gone.  But  the  gun  business 
sure  has  me  worried.  I'm  going  to  talk  it  off  on 
you.  Hello!"  cried  Tom  suddenly,  as  he  put  a 
key  in  the  complicated  lock  on  the  door,  "some- 
one has  been  in  here.    I  wonder  who  it  is  ?" 

Ned  was  a  little  startled  at  the  look  on  Tom's 
face  and  the  sound  of  alarm  in  his  chum's  voice. 


CHAPTER  II 


A    FIRE    ALARM 


Tom  Swift  quickly  opened  the  door  of  the  big 
shed.  It  was  built  to  house  a  dirigible  balloon, 
or  airship  of  some  sort.  Ned  could  easily  teU 
that  from  his  knowledge  of  Tom's  previous  in- 
ventions. 

"Something  wrong?"  asked  the  young  bank 
clerk. 

"I  don't  know,"  returned  Tom,  and  then,  as 
he  looked  inside  the  place,  he  breathed  a  sigh  of 
relief. 

"Oh,  it's  you,  is  it,  Koku?"  he  asked,  as  a  ver- 
itable giant  of  a  man  came  forward. 

"Yes,  master,  it  is  only  Koku  and  your  father," 
spoke  the  big  chap,  with  rather  a  strange  accent. 

"Oh,  is  my  father  here?"  asked  Tom.  "I  was 
wondering  who  had  opened  the  door  of  this 
shed." 

"Yes,  Tom,"  responded  the  elder  Swift,  com- 
ing up  to  them,  "I  had  a  new  idea  in  regard  to 
some  of  those  side  guy  wires,  and  I  wanted  to  try: 

10 


A  FIRE  ALARM  II 

it  out.  I  brought  Koku  with  me  to  use  his 
strength  on  some  of  them." 

"That's  all  right,  Dad.  Ned  and  I  came  out  to 
wrestle  with  that  recoil  problem  again.  I  want 
to  try  some  guns  on  the  craft  soon,  but " 

"You'd  better  not,  Tom,"  warned  his  father. 
"It  will  never  work,  I  tell  you.  You  can't  expect 
to  take  up  quick-firing  guns  and  bombs  in  an  air- 
ship, and  have  them  work  properly.  Better  give 
it  up." 

"I  never  will.    I'll  make  it  work,  Dad !" 

"I  don't  believe  you  will,  Tom.  This  time  you 
have  bitten  off  more  than  you  can  chew,  to  use 
a  homely  but  expressive  statement." 

"Well,  Dad,  we'll  see,"  began  Tom  easily. 
"There  she  is,  Ned,"  he  went  on.  "Now,  if  you'll 
come  around  here " 

But  Tom  never  finished  that  sentence,  for  at 
that  moment  there  came  running  into  the  airship 
shed  an  elderly,  short,  stout,  fussy  gentleman, 
followed  by  an  aged  colored  man.  Both  of  them 
seemed  very  much  excited. 

"Bless  my  socks,  Tom!"  cried  the  short,  stout 
man.    "There  sure  is  trouble !" 

"I  should  say  so,  Massa  Tom !"  added  the  col- 
ored man.  "I  done  did  prognosticate  dat  some 
day  de  combustible  material  of  which  dat  shed 
am  composed  would  conflaggrate " 


12     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"What's  the  matter?"  interrupted  Tom,  jump- 
ing forward.  "Speak  out!  Eradicate!  Mr. 
Damon,  what  is  it?" 

"The  red  shed!"  cried  the  short  little  man. 
"The  red  shed,  Tom " 

"It's  on  fire !"  yelled  the  colored  man. 

"Great  thunderclaps!"  cried  Tom.  "Come  on 
— everybody  on  the  job !"  he  yelled.  "Koku,  pull 
the  alarm !    If  that  red  shed  goes " 

Instantly  the  place  was  in  confusion.  Tom  and 
Ned,  looking  from  a  window  of  the  hangar,  saw 
a  billow  of  black  smoke  roll  across  the  yard.  But 
already  the  private  fire  bell  was  clanging  out  its 
warning.  And,  while  the  work  of  fighting  the 
flames  is  under  way,  I  will  halt  the  progress  of 
this  story  long  enough  to  give  my  new  readers  a 
little  idea  of  who  Tom  Swift  is,  so  they  may 
read  this  book  more  intelligently.  Those  of  you 
who  have  perused  the  previous  volumes  may  skip 

this  part. 

Tom  Swift,  though  rather  young  in  years,  was 
an  inventor  of  note.  His  tastes  and  talents  were 
developed  along  the  line  of  machinery  and  loco- 
motion. Motorcycles,  automobiles,  motorboats, 
submarine  craft,  and,  latest  of  all,  craft  of  the 
air,  had  occupied  the  attention  of  Tom  Swift  and 
his  father  for  some  years. 

Mr.  Swift  was  a  widower,  and  lived  with  Tom, 


A  FIRE  ALARM  13 

his  only  son,  in  the  village  of  Shopton,  New  York 
State.  Mrs.  Baggert  kept  house  for  them,  and 
an  aged  colored  man,  Eradicate  Sampson,  with 
his  mule,  Boomerang,  did  "odd  jobs"  about  the 
Shopton  home  and  factories. 

Among  Tom's  friends  was  a  Mr.  Wakefield 
Damon,  from  a  nearby  village.  Mr.  Damon  was 
always  blessing  something,  from  his  hat  to  his 
shoes,  a  harmless  sort  of  habit  that  seemed  to 
afford  him  much  comfort.  Then  there  was  Ned 
Newton,  a  boyhood  chum  of  Tom's,  who  worked 
in  the  Shopton  bank.  I  will  just  mention  Mary 
Nestor,  a  young  lady  of  Shopton,  in  whom  Tom 
was  more  than  ordinarily  interested.  I  have 
spoken  of  Koku,  the  giant.  He  really  was  a  giant 
of  a  man,  of  enormous  strength,  and  was  one  of 
two  whom  Tom  had  brought  with  him  from  a 
strange  land  where  Tom  was  held  captive  for  a 
time.  You  may  read  about  it  in  a  book  devoted 
to  those  adventures. 

Tom  took  Koku  into  his  service,  somewhat  to 
the  dismay  of  Eradicate,  who  was  desperately 
jealous.  But  poor  Eradicate  was  getting  old,  and 
could  not  do  as  much  as  he  thought  he  could.  So, 
in  a  great  measure,  Koku  replaced  him,  and  Tom 
found  much  use  for  the  giant's  strength. 

Tom  had  begun  his  inventive  work  when,  some 
years  before  this  story  opens,  he  had  bargained 


14     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

for  Mr.  Damon's  motorcycle,  after  that  machine 
had  shot  its  owner  into  a  tree.  Mr.  Damon  was, 
naturally,  perhaps,  much  disgusted,  and  sold  the 
affair  cheap.  Tom  repaired  it,  made  some  im- 
provements, and,  in  the  first  volume  of  this  series, 
entitled  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Motorcycles,"  you 
may  read  of  his  rather  thrilling  adventures  on 
his  speedy  road-steed. 

From  then  on  Tom  had  passed  a  busy  life, 
making  many  machines  and  having  some  thrilling 
times  with  them.  Just  previous  to  the  opening 
of  this  story  Tom  had  made  a  peculiar  instru- 
ment, described  in  the  volume  entitled  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Photo-Telephone."  With  that  a 
person  talking  could  not  only  see  the  features  of 
the  person  with  whom  he  was  conversing,  but,  by 
means  of  a  selenium  plate  and  a  sort  of  camera, 
a  permanent  picture  could  be  taken  of  the  person 
at  either  end  of  the  wire. 

By  means  of  this  invention  Tom  had  been  able 
to  make  a  picture  that  had  saved  a  fortune.  But 
Tom  did  not  stop  there.  With  him  to  invent  was 
as  natural  and  necessary  as  breathing.  He  sim- 
ply could  not  stop  it.  And  so  we  find  him  now 
about  to  show  to  his  chum,  Ned  Newton,  his 
latest  patent,  an  aerial  warship,  which,  however, 
was  not  the  success  Tom  had  hoped  for. 

But  just  at  present  other  matters  than  the  war* 


A  FIRE  ALARM  1 5 

ship  were  in  Tom's  mind.  The  red  shed  was  on 
fire. 

That  mere  statement  might  not  mean  anything 
special  to  the  ordinary  person,  but  to  Tom,  his 
father,  and  those  who  knew  about  his  shops,  it 
meant  much. 

"The  red  shed!"  Tom  cried.  "We  mustn't  let 
that  get  the  best  of  us!  Everybody  at  work! 
Father,  not  you,  though.  You  mustn't  excite 
yourself!" 

Even  in  the  midst  of  the  alarm  Tom  thought 
of  his  father,  for  the  aged  man  had  a  weak  heart, 
and  had  on  one  occasion  nearly  expired,  being 
saved  just  in  time  by  the  arrival  of  a  doctor, 
whom  Tom  brought  to  the  scene  after  a  wonder- 
ful race  through  the  air. 

"But,  Tom,  I  can  help,"  objected  the  aged  in- 
ventor. 

"Now,  you  just  take  care  of  yourself,  Father !" 
Tom  cried.  "There  are  enough  of  us  to  look  after 
this  fire,  I  think." 

"But,  Tom,  it — it's  the  red  shed !"  gasped  Mr. 
Swift. 

"I  realize  that,  Dad.  But  i-t  can't  have  much 
of  a  start  yet.    Is  the  alarm  ringing,  Koku?" 

"Yes,  Master,"  replied  the  giant,  in  correct 
but  stilted  English.  "I  have  set  the  indicator  to 
signal  the  alarm  in  every  shop  on  the  premises." 


16     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"That's  right."  Tom  sprang  toward  the  door. 
"Eradicate!"  he  called. 

"Yais,  sah !  Heah  I  is !"  answered  the  colored 
man.  "I'll  go  git  mah  mule,  Boomerang,  right 
away,  an'  he " 

"Don't  you  bring  Boomerang  on  the  scene!" 
Tom  yelled.  "When  I  want  that  shed  kicked 
apart  I  can  do  it  better  than  by  using  a  mule's 
heels.  And  you  know  you  can't  do  a  thing  with 
Boomerang  when  he  sees  fire." 

"Now  dat's  so,  Massa  Tom.  But  I  could  put 
blinkers  on  him,  an' " 

"No,  you  let  Boomerang  stay  where  he  is. 
Come  on,  Ned.  We'll  see  what  we  can  do.  Mr. 
Damon " 

"Yes,  Tom,  I'm  right  here,"  answered  the  pe- 
culiar man,  for  he  had  come  over  from  his  home 
in  Water  ford  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  friends,  Tom 
and  Mr.  Swift.  "I'll  do  anything  I  can  to  help 
you,  Tom,  bless  my  necktie !"  he  went  on.  "Only 
say  the  word !" 

"We've  got  to  get  some  of  the  stuff  out  of  the 
place!"  Tom  cried.  "We  may  be  able  to  save  it, 
but  I  can't  take  a  chance  on  putting  out  the  fire 
and  letting  some  of  the  things  in  there  go  up  .in 
smoke.     Come  on!" 

Those  in  the  shed  where  was  housed  what  Tom 
hoped  would  prove  to  be  a  successful  aerial  war- 


A  FIRE  ALARM  17 

ship  rushed  to  the  open.  From  the  other  shops 
and  buildings  nearby  were  pouring  men  and  boys, 
for  the  Swift  plant  employed  a  number  of  hands 
now. 

Above  the  shouts  and  yells,  above  the  crackle 
of  flames,  could  be  heard  the  clanging  of  the 
alarm  bell,  set  ringing  by  Koku,  who  had  pulled 
the  signal  in  the  airship  shed.  From  there  it 
had  gone  to  every  building  in  the  plant,  being 
relayed  by  the  telephone  operator,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  look  after  that. 

"My,  you've  got  a  big  enough  fire-fighting 
force,  Tom !"  cried  Ned  in  his  chum's  ear. 

"Yes,  I  guess  we  can  master  it,  if  it  hasn't 
gotten  the  best  of  us.  Say,  it's  going  some, 
though!" 

Tom  pointed  to  where  a  shed,  painted  red — a 
sign  of  danger — could  be  seen  partly  enveloped 
in  smoke,  amid  the  black  clouds  of  which  shot 
out  red  tongues  of  flame. 

"What  have  you  got  it  painted  red  for?"  Ned 
asked  pantingly,  as  they  ran  on. 

"Because "  Tom  began,  but  the  rest  of  the 

sentence  was  lost  in  a  yell. 

Tom  had  caught  sight  of  Eradicate  and  the 
giant,  Koku,  unreeling  from  a  central  standpipe 
a  long  line  of  hos,.. 


18     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"Don't  take  that !"  Tom  cried.  "Don't  use  that 
hose !    Drop  it !" 

"What's  the  matter?  Is  it  rotten?"  Ned 
wanted  to  know. 

"No,  but  if  they  pull  it  out  the  water  will  be 
turned  on  automatically." 

"Well,  isn't  that  what  you  want  at  a  fire — > 
Water?"  Ned  demanded. 

"Not  at  this  fire,"  was  Tom's  answer.  "There's 
a  lot  of  calcium  carbide  in  that  red  shed — that's 
why  it's  red — to  warn  the  men  of  danger.  You 
know  what  happens  when  water  gets  on  carbide 
— there's  an  explosion,  and  there's  enough  car- 
bide in  that  shed  to  send  the  whole  works  sky 
high. 

"Drop  that  hose !"  yelled  Tom  in  louder  tones. 
"Drop  it,  Rad — Koku!  Do  you  want  to  kill  us 
all!" 


CHAPTER  III 

A   DESPERATE   BATTLE 

Tom's  tones  and  voice  were  so  insistent  that 
the  giant  and  the  colored  man  had  no  choice  but 
to  obey.  They  dropped  the  hose  which,  half  un- 
reeled, lay  like  some  twisted  snake  in  the  grass. 
Had  it  been  pulled  out  all  the  way  the  water 
would  have  spurted  from  the  nozzle,  for  it  was 
of  the  automatic  variety,  with  which  Tom  had 
equipped  all  his  plant. 

"But  what  are  you  going  to  do,  Tom,  if  you 
don't  use  water?"  asked  Ned,  wonderingly. 

"I  don't  know — yet,  but  I  know  water  is  the 
worst  thing  you  can  put  on  carbide,"  returned 
Tom.  For  all  he  spoke  slowly  his  brain  was 
working  fast.  Already,  even  now,  he  was  plan- 
ning how  best  to  give  battle  to  the  flames. 

It  needed  but  an  instant's  thought  on  the  part 
of  Ned  to  make  him  understand  that  Tom  was 
right.  It  would  be  well-nigh  fatal  to  use  water 
on  carbide.  Those  of  you  who  have  bicycle  lan- 
terns, in  which  that  not  very  pleasant-smelling 


20     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

chemical  is  used,  know  that  if  a  few  drops  of 
water  are  allowed  to  drip  slowly  on  the  gray 
crystals  acetylene  gas  is  generated,  which  makes 
a  brilliant  light.  But,  if  the  water  drips  too  fast, 
the  gas  is  generated  too  quickly,  and  an  explosion 
results.  In  lamps,  of  course,  and  in  lighting 
plants  where  carbide  is  used,  there  are  automatic 
arrangements  to  prevent  the  water  flowing  too 
freely  to  the  chemical.  But  Tom  knew  if  the  hose 
were  turned  on  the  fire  in  the  red  shed  a  great  ex- 
plosion would  result,  for  some  of  the  tins  of  car- 
bide would  be  melted  by  the  heat. 

Yet  the  fire  needed  to  be  coped  with.  Already 
the  flames  were  coming  through  the  roof,  and  the 
windows  and  door  were  spouting  red  fire  and 
volumes  of  smoke. 

Several  other  employees  of  Tom's  plant  had 
made  ready  to  unreel  more  hose,  but  the  warning 
of  the  young  inventor,  shouted  to  Eradicate  and 
Koku,  had  had  its  effect.  Every  man  dropped  the 
line  he  had  begun  to  unreel. 

"Ha!  Massa  Tom  say  drop  de  hose,  but  how 
yo'  gwine  t'  squirt  watah  on  a  fire  wifout  a  hose; 
answer  me  dat?"  and  Eradicate  looked  at  Koku. 

"Me  no  know,"  was  the  slow  answer.  "I  guess 
Koku  go  pull  shed  down  and  stamp  out  fire." 

"Huh!  Maybe  yo'  could  do  dat  in  cannibal 
land,  where  yo'  all  come  from,"  spoke  Eradicate, 


A  DESPERATE  BATTLE  21 

"but  yo'  can't  do  dat  heah!  'Sides,  de  red  shed 
will  blow  up  soon.  Dere's  suffin'  else  in  dere  ex- 
cept carbide,  an'  dat's  gwine  t'  go  up  soon,  dat's 
suah!" 

"Maybe  you  get  your  strong  man-mule,  Boom- 
erang," suggested  Koku.  "Nothing  ever  hurt 
him — explosion  or  nothing.  He  can  kick  shed 
all  to  pieces,  and  put  out  fire." 

"Dat's  what  I  wanted  t'  do,  but  Massa  Tom 
say  I  cain't,"  explained  the  colored  man.  "Golly ! 
Look  at  dat  fire !" 

Indeed  the  blaze  was  now  assuming  alarming 
proportions.  The  red  shed,  which  was  not  a  small 
structure,  was  blazing  on  all  sides.  About  it 
stood  the  men  from  the  various  shops. 

"Tom,  you  must  do  something,"  said  Mr. 
Swift.  "If  the  flames  once  reach  that  helma- 
nite " 

"I  know,  Father.  But  that  explosive  is  in 
double  vacuum  containers,  and  it  will  be  safe  for 
some  time  yet.  Besides,  it's  in  the  cellar.  It's  the 
carbide  I'm  most  worried  about.  We  daren't 
use  water." 

"But  something  will  have  to  be  done!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  red  necktie,  if 
we  don't " 

"Better  get  back  a  way,"  suggested  Tom. 
"Something  may  go  off!" 


22     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

His  words  of  warning  had  their  effect,  and  tha 
whole  circle  moved  back  several  paces. 

"Is  there  anything  of  value  in  the  shed  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"I  should  say  there  was !"  Tom  answered.  "I 
hoped  we  could  get  some  of  them  out,  but  we  can't 
now — until  the  fire  dies  down  a  bit,  at  any  rate." 

"Look,  Tom !  The  pattern  shop  roof  is  catch- 
ing!" shouted  Mr.  Swift,  pointing  to  where  a 
little  spurt  of  flame  showed  on  the  roof  of  a  dis- 
tant building. 

"It's  from  sparks !"  Tom  said. 

"Any  danger  of  using  water  there?"  Ned 
wanted  to  know. 

"No,  use  all  you  like!  That's  the  only  thing 
to  do.  Come  on,  you  with  the  hose!"  Tom 
yelled.     "Save  the  other  buildings !" 

"But  are  you  going  to  let  the  red  shed  burn?" 
asked  Mr.  Swift.  "You  know  what  it  means, 
Tom." 

"Yes,  Father,  I  know.  And  I'm  going  to  fight 
that  fire  in  a  new  way.  But  we  must  save  the 
other  buildings,  too.  Play  water  on  all  the  other 
sheds  and  structures !"  ordered  the  young  inven- 
tor. "I'll  tackle  this  one  myself.  Oh,  Ned !"  he 
called. 

"Yes,"  answered  his  chum.    "What  is  it  ?" 

"You  take  charge  of  protecting  the  place  where 


A  DESPERATE  BATTLE  23 

the  new  aerial  warship  is  stored.  Will  you?  I 
can't  afford  to  lose  that." 

"I'll  look  after  it,  Tom.  No  harm  in  using 
water  there,  though ;  is  there  ?" 

"Not  if  you  don't  use  too  much.  Some  of  the 
woodwork  isn't  varnished  yet,  and  I  wouldn't 
want  it  to  be  wet.  But  do  the  best  you  can.  Take 
Koku  and  Eradicate  with  you.  They  can't  do 
any  good  here." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  you're  going  to  give  up 
and  let  this  burn?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  Ned.  But  I  have  another  plan 
I  want  to  try.  Lively  now !  The  wind's  chang- 
ing, and  it's  blowing  over  toward  my  aerial  war- 
ship shed.    If  that  catches " 

Tom  shook  his  head  protestingly,  and  Ned  set 
off  on  the  run,  calling  to  the  colored  man  and 
the  giant  to  get  out  another  line  of  hose. 

"I  wonder  what  Tom  is  going  to  do?"  mused 
Ned,  as  he  neared  the  big  shed  he  and  the  others 
had  left  on  the  alarm  of  fire. 

Tom,  himself,  seemed  in  no  doubt  as  to  his 
procedure.  With  one  look  at  the  blazing  red 
shed,  as  if  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  how  much 
longer  it  could  burn  without  getting  entirely  be- 
yond control,  Tom  set  off  on  a  run  toward  an- 
other large  structure.  Ned,  glancing  toward  his 
chum,  observed : 


24     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"The  dirigible  shed !  I  wonder  what  his  game 
is?  Surely  that  can't  be  in  danger — it's  too  far 
off!" 

Ned  was  right  as  to  the  last  statement.  The 
shed,  where  was  housed  a  great  dirigible  balloon 
Tom  had  made,  but  which  he  seldom  used  of  late, 
was  sufficiently  removed  from  the  zone  of  fire 
to  be  out  of  danger. 

Meanwhile  several  members  of  the  fire-fighting 
force  that  had  been  summoned  from  the  various 
shops  by  the  alarm,  had  made  an  effort  to  save 
from  the  red  shed  some  of  the  more  valuable  of 
the  contents.  There  were  some  machines  in  there, 
as  well  as  explosives  and  chemicals,  in  addition 
to  the  store  of  carbide. 

But  the  fire  was  now  too  hot  to  enable  much 
to  be  done  in  the  way  of  salvage.  One  or  two 
small  things  were  carried  out  from  a  little  addi- 
tion to  the  main  structure,  and  then  the  rescuers 
were  driven  back  by  the  heat  of  the  flames,  as 
well  as  by  the  rolling  clouds  of  black  smoke. 

"Keep  away!"  warned  Mr.  Swift.  "It  will  ex- 
plode soon.     Keep  back!" 

"That's  right !"  added  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my 
powder-horn!  We  may  all  be  going  sky-high 
soon,  and  without  aid  from  any  of  Tom  Swift's 
aeroplanes,  either." 

Warned  by  the  aged  inventor,  the  throng  of 


A  DESTERATE  BATTLE  25 

men  began  slowly  moving  away  from  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood  of  the  blazing  shed.  Though 
it  may  seem  to  the  reader  that  some  time  had 
elapsed  since  the  first  sounding  of  the  alarm,  all 
that  I  have  set  down  took  place  in  a  very  short 
period — hardly  three  minutes  elapsing  since  Tom 
and  the  others  came  rushing  out  of  the  aerial  war- 
ship building. 

Suddenly  a  cry  arose  from  the  crowd  of  men 
near  the  red  shed.  Ned,  who  stood  ready  with 
several  lines  of  hose,  in  charge  of  Koku,  Eradi- 
cate and  others,  to  turn  them  on  the  airship  shed, 
in  case  of  need,  looked  in  the  direction  of  the 
"Excited  throng. 

The  young  bank  clerk  saw  a  strange  sight. 
From  the  top  of  the  dirigible  balloon  shed  a  long, 
black,  cigar-shaped  body  arose,  floating  gradually 
upward.  The  very  roof  of  the  shed  slid  back 
out  of  the  way,  as  Tom  pressed  the  operating 
lever,  and  the  dirigible  was  free  to  rise — as  free 
as  though  it  had  been  in  an  open  field. 

"He's  going  up!"  cried  Ned  in  surprise. 
"Making  an  ascent  at  a  time  like  this,  when  he 
ought  to  stay  here  to  fight  the  fire !  What's  got- 
ten into  Tom,  I'd  like  to  know?  I  wonder  if  he 
can  be " 

Ned  did  not  finish  his  half-formed  sentence.  A 
dreadful  thought  came  into  his  mind.     What  if 


B6     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

the  sudden  fire,  and  the  threatened  danger,  as 
well  as  the  prospective  loss  that  confronted  Tom, 
had  affected  his  mind  ? 

"It  certainly  looks  so,"  mused  Ned,  as  he  saw 
the  big  balloon  float  free  from  the  shed.  There 
was  no  doubt  but  that  Tom  was  in  it.  He  could 
be  seen  standing  within  the  pilot-house,  operating 
the  various  wheels  and  levers  that  controlled  the 
ship  of  the  air. 

"What  can  he  be  up  to?"  marveled  Tom.  "1$ 
he  going  to  run  away  from  the  fire?" 

Koku,  Eradicate  and  several  others  were  at- 
tracted by  the  sight  of  the  great  dirigible,  now  a 
considerable  distance  up  in  the  air.  Certainly 
it  looked  as  though  Tom  Swift  were  running 
away.    Yet  Ned  knew  his  chum  better  than  that. 

Then,  as  they  watched,  Ned  and  the  others  saw 
the  direction  of  the  balloon  change.  She  turned 
around  in  response  to  the  influence  of  the  rudders 
and  propellers,  and  was  headed  straight  for  tha 
blazing  shed,  but  some  distance  above  it. 

"What  can  he  be  planning?"  wondered  Ned. 

He'  did  not  have  long  to  wait  to  find  out. 

An  instant  later  Tom'  s  plan  was  made  clear" 
to  his  chum.  He  saw  Tom  circling  over  the 
burning  red  shed,  and  then  the  bank  clerk  saw 
what  looked  like  fine  rain  dropping  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  balloon  straight  into  the  flames. 


A  DESPERATE  BATTLE  2? 

"He  can't  be  dousing  water  on  from  up  above 
there,"  reasoned  Ned.  "Pouring  water  on  car- 
bide from  a  height  is  just  as  bad  as  spurting  it  on 
from  a  hose,  though  perhaps  not  so  dangerous  to 
the  persons  doing  it.    But  it  can't  be 

"By  Jove !"  suddenly  exclaimed  Ned,  as  he  had 
a  better  view  of  what  was  going  on.  "It's  sand, 
that's  what  it  is!  Tom  is  giving  battle  to  the 
flames  with  sand  from  the  ballast  bags  of  the  dir- 
igible !  Hurray :  That's  the  ticket !  Sand !  The 
only  thing  safe  to  use  in  case  of  an  explosive 
chemical  fire. 

vFine  for  you,  Tom  Swift!    Fine!" 


CHAPTER  IV 


SUSPICIONS 


High  up  aloft,  over  the  blazing  red  shed,  with 
its  dangerous  contents  that  any  moment  might 
explode,  Tom  Swift  continued  to  hold  his  big 
dirigible  balloon  as  near  the  flames  as  possible. 
And  as  he  stood  outside  on  the  small  deck  in 
front  of  the  pilot-house,  where  were  located  the 
various  controls,  the  young  inventor  pulled  the 
levers  that  emptied  bag  after  bag  of  fine  sand 
on  the  spouting  flames  that,  already,  were  begin- 
ning to  die  down  as  a  result  of  this  effectual 
quenching. 

"Tom's  done  the  trick !"  yelled  Ned,  paying  lit- 
tle attention  now  to  the  big  airship  shed,  since  he 
saw  that  the  danger  was  about  over. 

"Dhat's  what  he  suah  hab  done !"  agreed  Eradi- 
cate. "Mah  ole  mule  Boomerang  couldn't  'a' 
done  any  better." 

"Huh!  Your  mule  afraid  of  fire,"  remarked 
Koku. 

"What's  dat  ?  Mah  mule  afraid  ob  fire  ?"  cried 
28 


SUSPICIONS  29 

the  colored  man.  "Look  heah,  yo'  great,  big, 
overgrowed  specimen  ob  an  equilateral  quadru- 
ped, I'll  hab  yo'  all  understand  dat  when  yo'  all 
speaks  dat  way  about  a  friend  ob  mine  dat 
yo' •" 

"That'll  do,  Rad !"  broke  in  Ned,  with  a  laugh. 
He  knew  that  when  Tom's  helper  grew  excited 
on  the  subject  of  his  mule  there  was  no  stopping 
him,  and  Boomerang  was  a  point  on  which  Eradi- 
cate and  Koku  were  always  arguing.  "The  fire  is 
under  control  now." 

"Yes,  it  seems  to  have  gone  visiting,"  observed 
Koku. 

"Visiting?"  queried  Ned,  in„some  surprise. 

"Yes,  that  is,  it  is  going  out,"  went  on  Koku. 

"Oh,  I  understand !"  laughed  Ned.  "Yes,  and 
I  hope  it  doesn't  pay  us  another  visit  soon.  Oh, 
look  at  Tom,  would  you !"  he  cried,  for  the  young 
aviator  had  r.wung  his  ship  about  over  the  flames, 
to  bring  another  row  of  sand  bags  directly  above 
a  place  where  the  fire  was  hottest. 

Down  showered  more  sand  from  the  bags 
which  Tom  opened.  No  fire  could  long  continue 
to  blaze  under  that  treatment.  The  supply  of  air 
was  cut  off,  and  without  that  no  fire  can  exist. 
Water  would  have  been  worse  than  useless,  be- 
cause of  the  carbide,  but  the  sand  covered  it  up 
so  that  it  was  made  perfectly  harmless. 


30     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

Moving  slowly,  the  airship  hovered  over  every 
part  of  the  now  slowly  expiring  flames,  the 
burned  opening  in  the  roof  of  the  shed  making  it 
possible  for  the  sand  to  reach  the  spots  where  it 
was  most  needed.  The  flames  died  out  in  section 
after  section,  until  no  more  could  be  seen — only 
clouds  of  black  smoke. 

"How  is  it  now?"  came  Tom's  voice,  as  he 
spoke  from  the  deck  of  the  balloon  through  a 
megaphone. 

"Almost  out,"  answered  Mr.  Damon.  "A  little 
more  sand,  Tom." 

The  eccentric  man  had  caught  up  a  piece  of 
paper  and,  rolling  it  into  a  cone,  made  an  impro- 
vised megaphone  of  that. 

"Haven't  much  more  sand  left,"  was  Tom's 
comment,  as  he  sent  down  a  last  shower.  "That 
will  have  to  do.  Hustle  that  carbide  and  other 
explosive  stuff  out  of  there  now,  while  you  have 
a  chance." 

"That's  it !"  cried  Ned,  who  caught  his  chum's 
meaning.  "Come  on,  Koku.  There's  work  for 
you." 

"Me  like  work,"  answered  the  giant,  stretching 
out  his  great  arms. 

The  last  of  the  sand  had  completely  smothered 
the  fire,  and  Tom,  observing  from  aloft  that  his 
work  was  well  done,  moved  away  in  the  dirigible, 


SUSPICIONS  31 

sending  it  to  a  landing  space  some  little  distance 
away  from  the  shed  whence  it  had  arisen.  It  was 
impossible  to  drop  it  back  again  through  the  roof 
of  the  hangar,  as  the  balloon  was  of  such  bulk 
that  even  a  little  breeze  would  deflect  it  so  that; 
it  could  not  be  accurately  anchored.  But  Tom 
had  it  under  very  good  control,  and  soon  it  was 
being  held  down  on  the  ground  by  some  of  his 
helpers. 

As  all  the  sand  ballast  had  been  allowed  to  rum 
out  Tom  was  obliged  to  open  the  gas-valves  and 
let  some  of  the  lifting  vapor  escape,  or  he  could 
not  have  descended. 

"Come  on,  now!"  cried  the  inventor,  as  he 
leaped  from  the  deck  of  his  sky  craft.  "Let's 
clean  out  the  red  shed.  That  fire  is  only  smoth- 
ered, and  there  may  be  sparks  smoldering  under 
that  sand,  which  will  burst  into  flame,  if  we're 
not  careful.  Let's  get  the  explosives  out  of  the 
way." 

"Bless  my  insurance  policy,  yes,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Damon.     "That  was  a  fine  move  of  yours." 

"It  was  the  only  way  I  could  think  of  to  put 
out  the  fire,"  Tom  replied.  "I  knew  water  was 
out  of  the  question,  and  sand  was  the  next  thing. 

"But  I  didn't  know  where  to  get  any  until  I 
happened  to  think  of  the  ballast  bags  of  my  dirigi- 
We.    Then  I  knew,  if  I  could  get  above  the  fire. 


32     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

I  could  do  the  trick.  I  had  to  fly  pretty  high, 
though,  as  the  fire  was  hot,  and  I  was  afraid  it 
might  explode  the  gas  bag  and  wreck  me." 

"You  were  taking  a  chance,"  remarked  Ned. 

"Oh,  well,  you  have  to  take  chances  in  this 
business,"  observed  Tom,  with  a  smile.  "Now, 
then,  let's  finish  this  work." 

The  sand,  falling  from  the  ballast  bags  of  the 
dirigible,  had  so  effectually  quenched  the  fire  that 
it  was  soon  cool  enough  to  permit  close  approach. 
Koku,  Tom  and  some  of  the  men  who  best  knew 
how  to  handle  the  explosives,  were  soon  engaged 
in  the  work  of  salvage. 

"I  wish  I  could  help  you,  Tom,"  said  his  aged 
father.  "I  don't  seem  able  to  do  anything  but 
stand  here  and  look  on,"  and  he  gazed  about  him 
rather  sadly. 

"Never  you  mind,  Dad!"  Tom  exclaimed. 
"We'll  get  along  all  right  now.  You'd  better  go 
up  to  the  house.    Mr.  Damon  will  go  with  you." 

"Yes,  of  course!"  exclaimed  the  odd  man, 
catching  a  wink  from  Tom,  who  wanted  his 
father  not  to  get  too  excited  on  account  of  his 
weak  heart.  "Come  along,  Professor  Swift.  The 
danger  is  all  over." 

"All  right,"  assented  the  aged  inventor,  with 
a  look  at  the  still  smoking  shed. 

"And,  Dad,  when  you  haven't  anything  else  to 


SUSPICIONS  33 

do,"  went  on  Tom,  rather  whimsically,  "you 
might  be  thinking  up  some  plan  to  take  up  the 
recoil  of  those  guns  on  my  aerial  warship.  I  con- 
fess I'm  clean  stumped  on  that  point." 

"Your  aerial  warship  will  never  be  a  success," 
declared  Mr.  Swift.  "You  might  as  well  give 
that  up,  Tom." 

"Don't  you  believe  it,  Dad!"  cried  Tom,  with 
more  of  a  jolly  air  of  one  chum  toward  another 
than  as  though  the  talk  was  between  father  and 
son.  "You  solve  the  recoil  problem  for  me,  and 
I'll  take  care  of  the  rest,  and  make  the  air  war- 
ship sail.  But  we've  got  something  else  to  da 
just  now.    Lively,  boys." 

While  Mr.  Swift,  taking  Mr.  Damon's  arm, 
walked  toward  the  house,  Tom,  Ned,  Koku,  and 
some  of  the  workmen  began  carrying  out  the  ex- 
plosives which  had  so  narrowly  escaped  the  fire. 
With  long  hooks  the  men  pulled  the  shed  apart, 
where  the  side  walls  had  partly  been  burned 
through.  Tom  maintained  an  efficient  fire-fight- 
ing force  at  his  works,  and  the  men  had  the 
proper  tools  with  which  to  work. 

Soon  large  openings  were  made  on  three  sides 
of  the  red  shed,  or  rather,  what  was  left  of  it, 
and  through  these  the  dangerous  chemicals  and 
carbide,  in  sheet-iron  cans,  were  carried  out  to  a 
place  of  safety.     In  a  little  while  nothing  re- 


34     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

mained  but  a  heap  of  hot  sand,  some  charred  em- 
bers and  certain  material  that  had  been  burned. 

"Much  loss,  Tom?"  asked  Ned,  as  they  sur- 
veyed the  ruins.  They  were  both  black  and 
grimy,  tired  and  dirty,  but  there  was  a  great  sense 
of  satisfaction. 

"Well,  yes,  there's  more  lost  than  I  like  to  think 
of,"  answered  Tom  slowly,  "but  it  would  have 
been  a  heap  sight  worse  if  the  stuff  had  gone  up. 
Still,  I  can  replace  what  I've  lost,  except  a  few 
models  I  kept  in  this  place.  I  really  oughtn't  to 
have  stored  them  here,  but  since  I've  been  work- 
ing on  my  new  aerial  warship  I  have  sort  of  let 
other  matters  slide.  I  intended  to  make  the  red 
shed  nothing  but  a  storehouse  for  explosive 
chemicals,  but  I  still  had  some  of  my  plans  and 
models  in  it  when  it  caught." 

"Only  for  the  sand  the  whole  place  might  have 
gone,"  said  Ned  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes.  It's  lucky  I  had  plenty  of  ballast  aboard 
the  dirigible.  You  see,  I've  been  running  it  alone 
lately,  and  I  had  to  take  on  plenty  of  sand  to 
make  up  for  the  weight  of  the  several  passengers 
I  usually  carry.  So  I  had  plenty  of  stuff  to 
shower  down  on  the  fire.  I  wonder  how  it  started, 
anyhow?    I  must  investigate  this." 

"Mr.  Damon  and  Eradicate  seem  to  have  seen 
it  first,"  remarked  Ned. 


SUSPICIONS  35 

"Yes.  At  least  they  gave  the  alarm.  Guess 
I'll  ask  Eradicate  how  he  happened  to  notice. 
Oh,  I  say,  Rad !"  Tom  called  to  the  colored  man. 

"Yais,  sah,  Massa  Tom!  I'se  comin' !"  the 
darky  cried,  as  he  finished  piling  up,  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance from  the  fire,  a  number  of  cans  of  car- 
bide. 

"How'd  you  happen  to  see  the  red  shed 
ablaze  ?"  Tom  asked. 

''Why,  it  was  jest  dish  yeah  way,  Massa  Tom," 
began  the  colored  man.  "I  had  jest  been  feedin' 
mah  mule,  Boomerang.  He  were  pow'ful  hun- 
gry, Boomerang  were,  an',  when  I  give  him  some 
oats,  wif  a  carrot  sliced  up  in  'em — no,  hole  on — 
did  I  gib  him  a  carrot  t'day,  or  was  it  yist'day  ?— * 
I  done  fo'got.  No,  it  were  yist'day  I  done  gib 
him  de  carrot,  I  'member  now,  'case " 

"Oh,  never  mind  the  carrot,  or  Boomerang, 
either,  Rad !"  broke  in  Tom,  "I'm  asking  you 
about  the  fire." 

"An'  I'se  tellin'  yo',  Massa  Tom,"  declared 
Eradicate,  with  a  rather  reproachful  look  at  his 
master.  "But  I  wanted  t'  do  it  right  an'  proper. 
I  were  comin'  from  Boomerang's  stable,  an'  I  see 
surfin'  red  spoutin'  up  at  one  corner  ob  de  red 
shed.  I  knowed  it  were  fire  right  away,  an'  I 
yelled." 

"Yes,  I  heard  you  yell,"  Tom  said.    "But  what 


36     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

I  wanted  to  know  is,  did  you  see  anyone  near  the 
red  shed  at  the  time?" 

"No,  Massa  Tom,  I  done  didn't." 

"I  wonder  if  Mr.  Damon  did?  I  must  ask 
him,"  went  on  the  young  inventor.  "Come,  on, 
Ned,  we'll  go  up  to  the  house.  Everything  is  all 
right  here,  I  think.  Whew !  But  that  was  some 
excitement.  And  I  didn't  show  you  my  aerial 
warship  after  all !  Nor  have  you  settled  that  re- 
coil problem  for  me." 

"Time  enough,  I  guess,"  responded  Ned. 
"You  sure  did  have  a  lucky  escape,  Tom." 

"That's  right.  Well,  Koku,  what  is  it?"  for 
the  giant  had  approached,  holding  out  something 
in  his  hand. 

"Koku  found  this  in  red  shed,"  went  on  the 
giant,  holding  out  a  round,  blackened  object. 
"Maybe  him  powder;  go  bang-bang!" 

"Oh,  you  think  it's  something  explosive,  eh?" 
asked  Tom,  as  he  took  the  object  from  the  giant. 

"Koku  no  think  much,"  was  the  answer.  "Him 
look  funny." 

Tom  did  not  speak  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
cried : 

"Look  funny!  I  should  say  it  did!  See  here, 
Ned,  if  this  isn't  suspicious  I'll  eat  my  hat!"  and 
Tom  beckoned  excitedly  to  his  chum,  who  had 
walked  on  a  little  in  advance. 


CHAPTER  V 

A   QUEER    STRANGER 

What  Tom  Swift  held  in  his  hand  looked  like 
«i  small  cannon  ball,  but  it  could  not  have  been 
solid  or  the  young  aviator  would  not  so  easily 
have  held  it  out  at  arm's  length  for  his  friend 
Ned  Newton  to  look  at. 

"This  puts  a  different  face  on  it,  Ned,"  Tom 
Went  on,  as  he  turned  the  object  over. 

"Is  that  likely  to  go  off?"  the  bank  clerk  asked, 
as  he  came  to  a  halt  a  little  distance  from  his 
friend. 

"Go  off?  No,  it's  done  all  the  damage  it  could, 
I  guess." 

"Damage?  It  looks  to  me  as  though  it  had 
suffered  the  most  damage  itself.  What  is  it,  one 
of  your  models  ?    Looks  like  a  bomb  to  me." 

"And  that's  what  it  is,  Ned." 

"Not  one  of  those  you're  going  to  use  on  your 
aerial  warship,  is  it,  Tom?" 

"Not  exactly.  I  never  saw  this  before,  but  it's 
what  started  the  fire  in  the  red  shed  all  right ;  I'm 
sure  of  that." 

37 


38     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

"Do  you  really  mean  it?"  cried  Ned. 

"I  sure  do." 

"Well,  if  that's  the  case,  I  wouldn't  leave  such 
dangerous  things  around  where  there  are  explo- 
sives, Tom." 

"I  didn't,  Ned.  I  wouldn't  have  had  this  with' 
in  a  hundred  miles  of  my  shed,  if  I  could  have 
had  my  way.  It's  a  fire  bomb,  and  it  was  set  to 
go  off  at  a  certain  time.  Only  I  think  something 
went  wrong,  and  the  bomb  started  a  fire  ahead 
of  time. 

"If  it  had  worked  at  night,  when  we  were  all 
asleep,  we  might  not  have  put  the  fire  out  so 
easily.  This  sure  is  suspicious!  I'm  glad  you 
found  this,  Koku." 

Tom  was  carefully  examining  the  bomb,  as 
Ned  had  correctly  named  it.  The  bank  clerk, 
now  that  he  was  assured  by  his  chum  that  the 
object  had  done  all  the  harm  it  could,  approached 
closer. 

What  he  saw  was  merely  a  hollow  shell  of 
iron,  with  a  small  opening  in  it,  as  though  in- 
tended for  a  place  through  which  to  put  a  charge 
of  explosives  and  a  fuse. 

"But  there  was  no  explosion,  Tom,"  explained 
Ned. 

"I  know  it,"  said  Tom  quietly.  "It  wasn't  a» 
explosive  bomb.    Smell  that!" 


A  QUEER  STRANGER  39 

He  held  the  object  under  Ned's  nose  so  sud- 
denly that  the  young  bank  clerk  jumped  back. 

"Oh,  don't  get  nervous,"  laughed  Tom.  "It 
can't  hurt  you  now.  But  what  does  that  smell 
like?" 

Ned  sniffed,  sniffed  again,  thought  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  sniffed  a  third  time. 

"Why,"  he  said  slowly,  "I  don't  just  know  the 
name  of  it,  but  it's  that  funny  stuff  you  mix  up 
sometimes  to  put  in  the  oxygen  tanks  when  we 
go  up  in  the  rarefied  atmosphere  in  the  balloon 
or  airship." 

"Manganese  and  potash,"  spoke  Tom.  "That 
and  two  or  three  other  things  that  form  a  chemi- 
cal combination  which  goes  off  by  itself  of  spon- 
taneous combustion  after  a  certain  time.  Only 
the  person  who  put  this  bomb  together  didn't  get 
the  chemical  mixture  just  right,  and  it  went  off 
ahead  of  time;  for  which  we  have  to  be  duly 
thankful." 

"Do  you  really  think  that,  Tom?"  cried  Ned. 

"I'm  positive  of  it,"  was  the  quiet  answer. 

"Why — why — that  would  mean  some  one  tried 
to  set  fire  to  the  red  shed,  Tom!" 

"They  not  only  tried  it,  but  did  it,"  responded 
Tom,  more  coolly  than  seemed  natural  under  the 
circumstances.  "Only  for  the  fact  that  the  mix- 
ture went  off  before  it  was  intended  to,  and 


40     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

found  us  all  alert  and  ready — well,  I  don't  like 
to  think  what  might  have  happened,"  and  Tom 
cast  a  look  about  at  his  group  of  buildings  with 
their  valuable  contents. 

"You  mean  some  one  purposely  put  that  bomb 
in  the  red  shed,  Tom?" 

"That's  exactly  what  I  mean.  Some  enemy, 
who  wanted  to  do  me  an  injury,  planned  this 
thing  deliberately.  He  filled  this  steel  shell  with 
chemicals  which,  of  themselves,  after  a  certain 
time,  would  send  out  a  hot  tongue  of  flame 
through  this  hole,"  and  Tom  pointed  to  the  open- 
ing in  the  round  steel  shell. 

"He  knew  the  fire  would  be  practically  un- 
quenchable by  ordinary  means,  and  he  counted 
on  its  soon  eating  its  way  into  the  carbide  and 
other  explosives.     Only  it  didn't." 

"Why,  Tom!"  cried  Ned.  "It  was  just  like 
one  of  those  alarm-clock  dynamite  bombs — set 
to  go  off  at  a  certain  time." 

"Exactly,"  Tom  said,  "only  this  was  more  deli- 
cate, and,  if  it  had  worked  properly,  there 
wouldn't  have  been  a  vestige  left  to  give  us  a 
clue.  But  the  fire,  thanks  to  the  ballast  sand  in 
the  dirigible,  was  put  out  in  time.  The  fuse 
burned  itself  out,  but  I  can  tell  by  the  smell 
what  chemicals  were  in  it.  That's  all,  Koku," 
be  went  on  to  the  giant  who  had  stood  waiting, 


A  QUEER  STRANGER  41 

not  understanding  all  the  talk  between  Tom  and 
Ned.     "I'll  take  care  of  this  now." 

"Bad  man  put  it  there?"  asked  the  giant,  who 
at  least  comprehended  that  something  was  wrong. 

"Well,  yes,  I  guess  you  could  say  it  was  a  bad 
man,"  replied  Tom. 

"Ha!  If  Koku  find  bad  man — bad  for  that 
man!"  muttered  the  giant,  as  he  clasped  his  two 
enormous  hands  together,  as  though  they  were 
already  on  the  fellow  who  had  tried  to  do  Tom 
Swift  such  an  injury. 

"I  wouldn't  like  to  be  that  man,  if  Koku  catches 
him,"  observed  Ned.  "Have  you  any  idea  who 
it  could  be,  Tom?" 

"Not  the  least.  Of  course  I  know  I  have  ene- 
mies, Ned.  Every  successful  inventor  has — per- 
sons who  imagine  he  has  stolen  their  ideas, 
whether  he  has  ever  seen  them  or  not.  It  may 
have  been  one  of  those  persons,  or  some  half- 
mad  crank,  who  was  jealous.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  say,  Ned." 

"It  wouldn't  be  Andy  Foger,  would  it?" 

"No;  I  don't  believe  Andy  has  been  in  this 
neighborhood  for  some  time.  The  last  lesson  we 
gave  him  sickened  him,  I  guess." 

"How  about  those  diamond-makers,  whose  se- 
cret you  discovered  ?  They  wouldn't  be  trying  to 
get  back  at  you,  would  they?" 


42     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

Well,  it's  possible,  Ned.  But  I  don't  imagine 
so.  They  seem  to  have  been  pretty  well  broken 
up.  No,  I  don't  believe  it  was  the  diamond-mak- 
ers who  put  this  fire  bomb  in  the  red  shed.  Their 
line  of  activities  didn't  include  this  branch.  It 
takes  a  chemist  to  know  just  how  to  blend  the 
things  contained  in  the  bomb,  and  even  a  good 
chemist  is  likely  to  fail — as  this  one  did,  as  far 
as  time  went." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"  Ned 
asked. 

"I  don't  know,"  and  Tom  spoke  slowly,  "I 
hoped  I  was  done  with  all  that  sort  of  thing,"  he 
went  on;  "fighting  enemies  whom  I  have  never 
knowingly  injured.  But  it  seems  they  are  still 
after  me.  Well,  Ned,  this  gives  us  something  to 
do,  at  all  events." 

"You  mean  trying  to  find  out  who  these  fel- 
lows are?" 

"Yes;  that  is,  if  you  are  willing  to  help." 

"Well,  I  guess  I  am !"  cried  the  bank  clerk  with 
sparkling  eyes.  "I  wouldn't  ask  anything  better. 
We've  been  in  things  like  this  before,  Tom,  and 
we'll  go  in  again — and  win!  I'll  help  you  all  I 
can.  Now,  let's  see  if  we  can  pick  up  any  other* 
clues.  This  is  like  old  times !"  and  Ned  laughed, 
for  he,  like  Tom,  enjoyed  a  good  "fight,"  and 
one  in  which  the  odds  were  against  them. 


A  QUEER  STRANGER  43 

"We  sure  will  have  our  hands  full,"  declared 
the  young  inventor.  "Trying  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  carrying  guns  on  an  aerial  warship,  and 
finding  out  who  set  this  fire." 

"Then  you're  not  going  to  give  up  your  aerial 
warship  idea?" 

"No,  indeed!"  Tom  cried.  "What  made  you 
think  that?" 

"Well,  the  way  your  father  spoke " 

"Oh,  dear  old  dad !"  exclaimed  Tom  affection- 
ately. "I  don't  want  to  argue  with  him,  but  he's 
dead  wrong!" 

"Then  you  are  going  to  make  a  go  of  it  ?" 

"I  sure  am,  Ned!  All  I  have  to  solve  is  the 
recoil  proposition,  and,  as  soon  as  we  get  straight- 
ened out  from  this  fire,  we'll  tackle  that  problem 
again — you  and  I.  But  I  sure  would  like  to  know 
who  put  this  in  my  red  shed,"  and  Tom  looked 
in  a  puzzled  manner  at  the  empty  fire  bomb  he 
still  held. 

Tom  paused,  on  his  way  to  the  house,  to  put 
the  bomb  in  one  of  his  offices. 

"No  use  letting  dad  know  about  this,"  he  went 
on.  "It  would  only  be  something  else  for  him 
to  worry  about." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Ned. 

By  this  time  nearly  all  evidences  of  the  fire, 
except  for  the  blackened  ruins  of  the  shed,  had 


44     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

been  cleared  away.  High  in  the  air  hung  a  cloud 
of  black  smoke,  caused  by  some  chemicals  that 
had  burned  harmlessly  save  for  that  pall.  Tom 
Swift  had  indeed  had  a  lucky  escape. 

The  young  inventor,  finding  his  father  quieted 
down  and  conversing  easily  with  Mr.  Damon, 
who  was  blessing  everything  he  could  think  of, 
motioned  to  Ned  to  follow  him  out  of  the  house 
again. 

"We'll  leave  dad  here,"  said  Tom,  "and  do  a 
little  investigating  on  our  own  account.  We'll 
look  for  clues  while  they're  fresh." 

But,  it  must  be  confessed,  after  Tom  and  Ned 
had  spent  the  rest  of  that  day  in  and  about  the 
burned  shed,  they  were  little  wiser  than  when 
they  started.  They  found  the  place  where  the 
fire  bomb  had  evidently  been  placed,  right  inside 
the  main  entrance  to  the  shed.  Tom  knew  it  had 
been  there  because  there  were  peculiar  marks  on 
the  charred  wood,  and  a  certain  queer  smell  of 
chemicals  that  confirmed  his  belief. 

"They  put  the  bomb  there  to  prevent  anyone 
going  in  at  the  first  alarm  and  saving  anything," 
Tom  said.  "They  didn't  count  on  the  roof  burn- 
ing through  first,  giving  me  a  chance  to  use  the 
sand.  I  made  the  roof  of  the  red  shed  flimsy 
just  on  that  account,  so  the  force  of  the  explo- 
sion, if  one  ever  came,  would  be  mostly  upward. 


A  QUEER  STRANGER  45 

You  know  the  expanding  gases,  caused  by  an  ex- 
plosion or  by  rapid  combustion,  always  do  just 
as  electricity  does,  seek  the  shortest  and  easiest 
route.  In  this  case  I  made  the  roof  the  easiest 
route." 

"A  lucky  provision,"  observed  Ned. 

That  night  Tom  had  to  confess  himself  beaten, 
as  far  as  finding  clues  was  concerned.  The 
empty  fire  bomb  was  the  only  one,  and  that 
seemed  valueless. 

Close  questioning  of  the  workmen  failed  to 
disclose  anything.  Tom  was  particularly  anxious 
to  discover  if  any  mysterious  strangers  had  been 
seen  about  the  works.  There  was  a  strict  rule 
about  admitting  them  to  the  plant,  however,  and 
it  could  not  be  learned  that  this  had  been  vio- 
lated. 

"Well,  we'll  just  have  to  lay  that  aside  for  a 
while,"  Tom  said  the  next  day,  when  Ned  again 
came  to  pay  a  visit.  "Now,  what  do  you  say  to 
tackling,  with  me,  that  recoil  problem  on  the 
aerial  warship?" 

"I'm  ready,  if  you  are,"  Ned  agreed,  "though 
I  know  about  as  much  of  those  things  as  a  snake 
does  about  dancing.     But  I'm  game." 

The  two  friends  walked  out  toward  the  shed 
where  Tom's  new  craft  was  housed.  As  yet  Ned 
had  not  seen  it.    On  the  way  they  saw  Eradicate 


46     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

walking  along,  talking  to  himself,  as  he  often 
did. 

"I  wonder  what  he  has  on  his  mind,"  remarked 
Ned  musingly. 

"Something  does  seem  to  be  worrying  him," 
agreed  Tom. 

As  they  neared  the  colored  man,  they  could 
hear  him  saying: 

"He  suah  did  hab  nerve,  dat's  what  he  did! 
De  idea  ob  askin'  me  all  dem  questions,  an'  den 
wantin'  t'  know  if  I'd  sell  him!" 

"What's  that,  Eradicate?"  asked  Tom. 

"Oh,  it's  a  man  I  met  when  I  were  comin'  back 
from  de  ash  dump,"  Eradicate  explained.  One 
of  the  colored  man's  duties  was  to  cart  ashes 
away  from  Tom's  various  shops,  and  dump  them 
in  a  certain  swampy  lot.  With  an  old  ram- 
shackle cart,  and  his  mule,  Boomerang,  Eradicate 
did  this  task  to  perfection. 

"A  man — what  sort  of  a  man?"  asked  Tom, 
always  ready  to  be  suspicious  of  anything  un- 
usual. 

"He  were  a  queer  man,"  went  on  the  aged  col- 
ored helper.  "First  he  stopped  me  an'  asted  me 
fo'  a  ride.  He  was  a  dressed-up  gen'man,  too, 
an'  I  were  suah  s'prised  at  him  wantin'  t'  set  in 
mah  ole  ash  cart,"  said  Eradicate.  "But  I  done 
was  polite  t'  him,   an'   fixed  a  blanket  so's   he 


A  QUEER  STRANGER  4% 

wouldn't  git  too  dirty.  Den  he  asted  me  ef  I 
didn't  wuk  fo'  yo',  Massa  Tom,  an'  of  course  I 
says  as  how  I  did.  Den  he  asted  me  about  de 
fire,  an'  how  much  damage  it  done,  an'  how  we 
put  it  out.  An'  he  end  up  by  sayin'  he'd  laik  t' 
buy  mah  mule,  Boomerang,  an'  he  wants  t'  come 
heah  dis  arternoon  an'  talk  t'  me  about  it." 

"He  does,  eh?"  cried  Tom.  "What  sort  of  a 
man  was  he,  Rad  ?" 

"Well,  a  gen'man  sort  ob  man,  Massa  Tom. 
Stranger  t'  me.  I  nebber  seed  him  afo\  He 
suah  was  monstrous  polite  t'  ole  black  Eradicate, 
an'  he  gib  me  a  half-dollar,  too,  jest  fo5  a  little 
ride.  But  I  aint'  gwine  t'  sell  Boomerang,  no 
indeedy,  I  ain't!"  and  Eradicate  shook  his  gray, 
kinky  head  decidedly. 

"Ned,  there  may  be  something  in  this!"  said 
Tom,  in  an  excited  whisper  to  his  chum.  "I 
don't  like  the  idea  of  a  mysterious  stranger  ques- 
tioning Eradicate  1" 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE   AERIAL   WARSHIP 


Ned  Newton  looked  at  Tom  questioningly. 
Then  he  glanced  at  the  unsuspicious  colored  man, 
who  was  industriously  polishing  the  half-dollar 
the  mysterious  stranger  had  given  him. 

"Rad,  just  exactly  what  sort  of  a  man  was  this 
one  you  speak  of  ?"  asked  Tom. 

"Why,  he  were  a  gen'man " 

"Yes,  I  know  that  much.  You've  said  it  be- 
fore. But  was  he  an  Englishman,  an  American — 
or " 

Tom  paused  and  waited  for  an  answer. 

"I  think  he  were  a  Frenchman,"  spoke  Eradi- 
cate. "I  done  didn't  see  him  eat  no  frogs'  laigs, 
but  he  smoked  a  cigarette  dat  had  a  funny  smell, 
and  he  suah  was  monstrous  polite.  He  suah  was 
a  Frenchman,  I  think." 

Tom  and  Ned  laughed  at  Eradicate's  descrip- 
tion of  the  man,  but  Tom's  face  was  soon  grave 
again. 

"Tell  us  more  about  him,  Rad,"  he  suggested. 
£Did  he  seem  especially  interested  in  the  fire  ?" 

4& 


THE  AERIAL  WARSHIP  49 

"No,  sah,  Massa  Tom,  he  seemed  laik  he  was 
more  special  interested  in  mah  mule,  Boomerang. 
He  done  asted  how  long  I  had  him,  an'  how  much 
I  wanted  fo'  him,  an'  how  old  he  was." 

"But  every  once  in  a  while  he  put  in  some 
question  about  the  fire,  or  about  our  shops,  didn't 
he,  Rad?"  Tom  wanted  to  know. 

The  colored  man  scratched  his  kinky  head,  and 
glanced  with  a  queer  look  at  Tom. 

"How  yo'  all  done  guess  dat?"  he  asked. 

"Answer  my  question,"  insisted  Tom. 

"Yes,  sah,  he  done  did  ask  about  yo',  and  de 
wuks,  ebery  now  and  den,"  Rad  confessed.  "But 
how  yo'  all  knowed  dat,  Massa  Tom,  when  I  were 
a-tellin'  yo'  all  about  him  astin'  fo'  mah  mule, 
done  gets  me — dat's  what  it  suah  does." 

"Never  mind,  Rad.  He  asked  questions  about 
the  plant,  that's  all  I  want  to  know.  But  you 
didn't  tell  him  much,  did  you?" 

Eradicate  looked  reproachfully  at  his  master. 

"Yo'  all  done  knows  me  bettah  dan  dat,  Massa 
Tom,"  the  old  colored  man  said.  "Yo'  all  know 
yo'  done  gib  orders  fo'  nobody  t'  talk  about  yo' 
projections." 

"Yes,  I  know  I  gave  those  orders,"  Tom  said, 
with  a  smile,  "but  I  want  to  make  sure  that  they 
have  been  followed." 

"Well,  I  done  follered  'em,  Massa.  Tom." 


50     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

"Then  you  didn't  tell  this  queer  stranger, 
Frenchman,  or  whatever  he  is,  much  about  my 
place?" 

"I  didn't  tell  him  nuffin',  sah.  I  done  frowed 
dust  in  his  eyes." 

Ned  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise. 

"Eradicate  is  speaking  figuratively,"  Tom  said, 
with  a  laugh. 

"Dat's  what  I  means,"  the  colored  man  went 
on.  "I  done  fooled  him.  When  he  asted  me 
about  de  fire  I  said  it  didn't  do  no  damage  at  all 
— in  fack  dat  we'd  rather  hab  de  fire  dan  not  hab 
it,  'case  it  done  gib  us  a  chance  t'  practice  our 
hose  drill." 

"That's  good,"  laughed  Tom.    "What  else?" 

"Well,  he  done  sort  ob  hinted  t'  me  ef  we  all 
knowed  how  de  fire  done  start.  I  says  as  how  we 
did,  dat  we  done  start  it  ourse'ves  f o'  practice,  an' 
dat  we  done  expected  it  all  along,  an'  were  ready 
fo'  it.  Course  I  knows  dat  were  a  sort  of  fairy 
story,  Massa  Tom,  but  den  dat  cigarette-smokin* 
Frenchman  didn't  hab  no  right  t'  asted  me  so 
many  questions,  did  he?" 

"No,  indeed,  Rad.  And  I'm  glad  you  didn't 
give  him  straight  answers.  So  he's  coming  here 
later  on,  is  he  ?" 

*T'  see  ef  I  wants  t*  sell  mah  mule,  Boomerang, 
yais,  sah.     I  sort  ob  thought  maybe  you'd  want 


THE  AERIAL  WARSHIP  $1 

t'  hab  a  look  at  dat  man,  so  I  tole  him  t'  come  on. 
Course  I  doan't  want  t'  sell  Boomerang,  but  ef 
he  was  t'  offer  me  a  big  lot  ob  money  fo'  him  I'd 
take  it." 

"Of  course,"  Tom  answered.  "Very  well,  Rad. 
[You  may  go  on  now,  and  don't  say  anything  to 
anyone  about  what  you  have  told  me." 

"I  won't,  Massa  Tom,"  promised  the  colored 
man,  as  he  went  off  muttering  to  himself. 

"Well,  what  do  you  make  of  it,  Tom?"  asked 
Ned  of  his  chum,  as  they  walked  on  toward  the 
shed  of  the  new,  big  aerial  warship. 

"I  don't  know  just  what  to  think,  Ned.  Of 
course  things  like  this  have  happened  before — 
persons  trying  to  worm  secrets  out  of  Eradicate, 
or  some  of  the  other  men. 

"They  never  succeeded  in  getting  much,  I'm 
glad  to  say,  but  it  always  keeps  me  worried  for 
fear  something  will  happen,"  Tom  concluded. 

"But  about  this  Frenchman?" 

"Well,  he  must  be  a  new  one.  And,  now  I 
come  to  think  of  it,  I  did  hear  some  of  the  men 
speaking  about  a  foreigner — a  stranger — being 
around  town  last  week.  It  was  just  a  casual  ref- 
erence, and  I  paid  little  attention  to  it.  Now 
it  looks  as  though  there  might  be  something  in  it." 

"Do  you  think  he'll  come  to  bargain  with 
Eradicate  about  the  mule?"  Ned  asked. 


52     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"Hardly.  That  was  only  talk  to  make  Eradi- 
cate unsuspicious.  The  stranger,  whoever  he  was, 
sized  Rad  up  partly  right.  I  surmised,  when  Rad 
said  he  asked  a  lot  of  questions  about  the  mule, 
that  was  only  to  divert  suspicion,  and  that  he'd 
come  back  to  the  subject  of  the  fire  every  chance 
he  got." 

"And  you  were  right." 

"Yes,  so  it  seems.  But  I  don't  believe  the  fel- 
low will  come  around  here.  It  would  be  too  risky. 
All  the  same,  we'll  be  prepared  for  him.  I'll  just 
rig  up  one  of  my  photo-telephone  machines,  so 
that,  if  he  does  come  to  have  a  talk  with  Rad, 
we  can  both  see  and  hear  him." 

"That's  great,  Tom!  But  do  you  think  this 
fellow  had  anything  to  do  with  the  fire?" 

"I  don't  know.  He  knew  about  it,  of  course. 
This  isn't  the  first  fire  we've  had  in  the  works, 
and,  though  we  always  fight  them  ourselves,  still 
news  of  it  will  leak  out  to  the  town.  So  he  could 
easily  have  known  about  it.  And  he  might  be  in 
with  those  who  set  it,  for  I  firmly  believe  the  fire 
was  set  by  someone  who  has  an  object  in  injuring 
me." 

"It's  too  bad!"  declared  Ned.  "Seems  as 
though  they  might  let  you  alone,  if  they  haven't 
gumption  enough  to  invent  things  for  them- 
selves." 


THE  AERIAL  WARSHIP  53 

"Well,  don't  worry.  Maybe  it  will  come  out 
all  right,"  returned  Tom.  "Now,  let's  go  and 
have  a  look  at  my  aerial  warship.  I  haven't 
shown  it  to  you  yet.  Then  we'll  get  ready  for 
that  mysterious  Frenchman,  if  he  comes — but  I 
don't  believe  he  will." 

The  young  inventor  unlocked  the  door  of  the 
shed  where  he  kept  his  latest  "pet,"  and  at  the 
sight  which  met  his  eyes  Ned  Newton  uttered  an 
exclamation  of  surprise. 

"Tom,  what  is  it?"  he  cried  in  an  awed  voice. 

"My  aerial  warship !"  was  the  quiet  answer. 

Ned  Newton  gave  vent  to  a  long  whistle,  and 
then  began  a  detailed  examination  of  the  won- 
derful craft  he  saw  before  him.  That  is,  he 
made  as  detailed  an  examination  as  was  possible 
under  the  circumstances,  for  it  was  a  long  time 
before  the  young  bank  clerk  fully  appreciated  all 
Tom  Swift  had  accomplished  in  building  the 
Mars,  which  was  the  warlike  name  painted  in 
red  letters  on  the  big  gas  container  that  tugged 
and  swayed  overhead. 

"Tom,  however  did  you  do  it?"  gasped  Ned  at 
length. 

"By  hard  work,"  was  the  modest  reply.  "I've 
been  at  this  for  a  longer  time  than  you'd  sup- 
pose, working  on  it  at  odd  moments.  I  had  a 
lot  of  help,  too,  or  I  never  could  have  done  it. 


'54     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

And  now  it  is  nearly  all  finished,  as  far  as  the  ship 
itself  is  concerned.  The  only  thing  that  bothers 
me  is  to  provide  for  the  recoil  of  the  guns  I 
want  to  carry.  Maybe  you  can  help  me  with  that 
Come  on,  now,  I'll  explain  how  the  affair  works, 
and  what  I  hope  to  accomplish  with  it." 

In  brief  Tom's  aerial  warship  was  a  sort  of 
German  Zeppelin  type  of  dirigible  balloon,  rising 
in  the  air  by  means  of  a  gas  container,  or,  rather, 
several  of  them,  for  the  section  for  holding  the 
lifting  gas  element  was  divided  by  bulkheads. 

The  chief  difference  between  dirigible  balloons 
and  ordinary  aeroplanes,  as  you  all  know,  is  that 
the  former  are  lifted  from  the  earth  by  a  gas,  such 
as  hydrogen,  which  is  lighter  than  air,  while  the 
aeroplane  lifts  itself  by  getting  into  motion,  when 
broad,  flat  planes,  or  surfaces,  hold  it  up,  just  as 
a  flat  stone  is  held  up  when  you  sail  it  through  the 
air.  The  moment  the  stone,  or  aeroplane,  loses 
its  forward  motion,  it  begins  to  fall. 

This  is  not  so  with  a  dirigible  balloon.  It  is 
held  in  the  air  by  means  of  the  lifting  gas,  and 
once  so  in  the  air  can  be  sent  in  any  direction 
by  means  of  propellers  and  rudders. 

Tom's  aerial  warship  contained  many  new  fea- 
tures. While  it  was  as  large  as  some  of  the  war- 
type  Zeppelins,  it  differed  from  them  materially. 
But  the  details  would  be  of  more  interest  to  a 


THE  AERIAL  WARSHIP.  55 

Scientific  builder  of  such  things  than  to  the  ordi- 
nary reader,  so  I  will  not  weary  you  with  them. 

Sufficient  to  say  that  Tom's  craft  consisted  first 
of  a  great  semi-rigid  bag,  or  envelope,  made  of 
specially  prepared  oiled  silk  and  aluminum,  to 
hold  the  gas,  which  was  manufactured  on  board. 
There  were  a  number  of  gas-tight  compartments, 
so  that  if  one,  or  even  if  a  number  of  them  burst, 
or  were  shot  by  an  enemy,  the  craft  would  still 
remain  afloat. 

Below  the  big  gas  bag  was  the  ship  proper,  a 
light  but  strong  and  rigid  framework  about 
which  were  built  enclosed  cabins.  These  cabins, 
or  compartments,  housed  the  driving  machinery, 
the  gas-generating  plant,  living,  sleeping  and  din- 
ing quarters,  and  a  pilot-house,  whence  the  ship 
could  be  controlled. 

But  this  was  not  all. 

Ned,  making  a  tour  of  the  Mars,  as  she  swayed 
gently  in  the  big  shed,  saw  where  several  alumi- 
num pedestals  were  mounted,  fore  and  aft  and  on 
either  beam  of  the  ship. 

"They  look  just  like  places  where  you  intend 
to  mount  guns,"  said  Ned  to  Tom. 

"And  that's  exactly  what  they  are,"  the  young 
inventor  replied.  "I  have  the  guns  nearly  ready 
for  mounting,  but  I  can't  seem  to  think  of  a 
way  of  providing  for  the  recoil.    And  if  I  don'* 


56     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

take  care  of  that,  I'm  likely  to  find  my  ship  com- 
ing apart  under  me,  after  we  bombard  the  enemy 
with  a  broadside  or  two." 

"Then  you  intend  to  fight  with  this  ship?" 
asked  Ned. 

"Well,  no;  not  exactly  personally.  I  was 
thinking  of  offering  it  to  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. Foreign  nations  are  getting  ready 
large  fleets  of  aerial  warships,  so  why  shouldn't 
we?  Matters  in  Europe  are  mighty  uncertain. 
There  may  be  a  great  war  there  in  which  aerial 
craft  will  play  a  big  part.  I  am  conceited  enough 
to  think  I  can  build  one  that  will  measure  up  to 
the  foreign  ones,  and  I'll  soon  be  in  a  position  to 
know." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean  I  have  already  communicated  witK 
our  government  experts,  and  they  are  soon  to 
come  and  inspect  this  craft.  I  have  sent  them 
word  that  it  is  about  finished.  There  is  only  the 
matter  of  the  guns,  and  some  of  the  ordnance  offi- 
cers may  be  able  to  help  me  out  with  a  suggestion, 
for  I  admit  I  am  stuck!"  exclaimed  Tom. 

"Then  you're  going  to  do  the  same  with  this 
aerial  warship  as  you  did  with  your  big  lantern 
and  that  immense  gun  you  perfected  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"That's  right,"  confirmed  Tom.  My  former 
readers  will  know  to  what  Ned  Newton  referred, 


THE  AERIAL  WARSHIP  57 

and  those  of  you  who  do  not  may  learn  the  de- 
tails of  how  Tom  helped  Uncle  Sam,  by  reading 
the  previous  volumes,  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Great 
Searchlight,"  and  "Tom  Swift  and  His  Giant 
Cannon." 

"When  do  you  expect  the  government  ex- 
perts?" Ned  asked. 

"Within  a  few  days,  now.  But  I'll  have  to 
hustle  to  get  ready  for  them,  as  this  fire  has  put 
me  back.  There  are  quite  a  number  of  details  I 
need  to  change.  Well,  now,  let  me  explain  about 
that  gun  recoil  business.  Maybe  you  can  help  me." 

"Fire  away,"  laughed  Ned.  "I'll  do  the  best  I 
can." 

Tom  led  the  way  from  the  main  shed,  where 
the  aerial  warship  was  housed,  to  a  small  pri- 
vate office.  As  Ned  entered,  the  door,  pulled  by 
a  strong  spring,  swung  after  him.  He  held  back 
his  hand  to  prevent  it  from  slamming,  but  there 
was  no  need,  for  a  patent  arrangement  took  up  all 
the  force,  and  the  door  closed  gently.  Ned 
looked  around,  not  much  surprised,  for  the  same 
sort  of  door-check  was  in  use  at  his  bank.  But  a 
sudden  idea  came  to  him. 

"There  you  are,  Tom!"  he  cried.  "Why  not 
take  up  the  recoil  of  the  guns  on  your  aerial  war- 
ship by  some  such  device  as  that?"  and  Ned 
pointed  to  the  door-check. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Warnings 

For  a  moment  or  two  Tom  Swift  did  not  seem 
to  comprehend  what  Ned  had  said.  He  remained 
staring,  first  at  his  chum,  who  stood  pointing,  and 
from  him  Tom's  gaze  wandered  to  the  top  of 
the  door.  It  may  have  been,  and  probably  was, 
that  Tom  was  thinking  of  other  matters  at  that 
instant.    But  Ned  said  again : 

"Wouldn't  that  do,  Tom?  Check  the  recoil  of 
the  gun  with  whatever  stuff  is  in  that  arrange- 
ment !" 

A  sudden  change  came  over  Tom's  face.  It 
was  lighted  up  with  a  gleam  of  understanding. 

"By  Jove,  Ned,  old  man!"  he  cried.  "I  be- 
lieve you've  struck  it!  And  to  think  that  has 
been  under  my  nose,  or,  rather,  over  my  head, 
all  this  while,  and  I  never  thought  of  it.  Hur- 
ray !    That  will  solve  the  problem !" 

"Do  you  think  it  will?"  asked  Ned,  glad  that  he 
had  contributed  something,  if  only  an  idea,  to 
Tom's  aerial  warship. 

58 


WARNINGS  59/ 

"I'm  almost  sure  it  will.  I'll  give  it  a  trial 
right  away." 

"What's  in  that  door-check?"  Ned  asked.  "I 
never  stopped  before  to  think  what  useful  things 
they  are,  though  at  the  bank,  with  the  big,  heavy 
doors,  they  are  mighty  useful." 

"They  are  a  combination  of  springs  and  hydro- 
static valves,"  began  Tom. 

"Good-night!"  laughed  Ned.  "Excuse  the 
slang,  Tom,  but  what  in  the  world  is  a  hydro- 
static valve  ?" 

"A  valve  through  which  liquids  pass.  In  thb 
door-check  there  may  be  a  mixture  of  water,  alco- 
hoi  and  glycerine,  the  alcohol  to  prevent  freezing 
in  cold  weather,  and  the  glycerine  to  give  body  to 
the  mixture  so  it  will  not  flow  through  the  valves 
too  freely." 

"And  do  you  think  you  can  put  something  like 
that  on  your  guns,  so  the  recoil  will  be  taken  up  ?** 
Ned  wanted  to  know. 

"I  think  so,"  spoke  Tom.  "I'm  going  to  work 
on  it  right  away,  and  we'll  soon  see  how  it  will 
turn  out.  It's  mighty  lucky  you  thought  of  that, 
for  I  sure  was  up  against  it,  as  the  boys  say." 

"It  just  seemed  to  come  to  me,"  spoke  Ned, 
"seeing  how  easily  the  door  closed." 

"If  the  thing  works  I'll  give  you  due  credit 
lor  it,"  promised  Tom.    "Now,  I've  got  to  figure 


60     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

out  how  much  force  a  modified  hydrostatic  valve 
check  like  that  will  take  up,  and  how  much  recoil 
my  biggest  gun  will  have." 

"Then  you're  going  to  put  several  guns  on  the 
Mars?"  asked  Ned. 

"Yes,  four  quick-firers,  at  least,  two  on  each 
side,  and  heavier  guns  at  the  bow  and  stern,  to 
throw  explosive  shells  in  a  horizontal  or  upward 
direction.  For  a  downward  direction  we  won't 
need  any  guns,  we  can  simply  drop  the  bombs,  or 
shells,  from  a  release  clutch." 

"Drop  them  on  other  air  craft?"  Ned  wanted 
to  know. 

"Well,  if  it's  necessary,  yes.  Though  I  guess 
there  won't  be  much  chance  of  doing  that  to  a 
rival  aeroplane  or  dirigible.  But  in  flying  over 
cities  or  forts,  explosive  bombs  can  be  dropped 
very  nicely.  For  use  in  attacking  other  air  craft 
I  am  going  to  depend  on  my  lateral  fire,  from 
the  guns  mounted  on  either  beam,  and  in  the  bow 
and  stern." 

"You  speak  as  though  you,  yourself,  were  go- 
ing into  a  battle  of  the  air,"  said  Ned. 

"No,  I  don't  believe  I'll  go  that  far,"  Tom  re- 
plied. "Though,  if  the  government  wants  my 
craft,  I  may  have  to  go  aloft  and  fire  shots  at  tar- 
gets for  them  to  show  them  how  things  work. 

"Please  don't  think  that  I  am  in  favor  of  war, 


WARNINGS  6l 

Ned,"  went  on  Tom  earnestly.  "I  hate  it,  and  I 
wish  the  time  would  come  when  all  nations  would 
disarm.  But  if  the  other  countries  are  laying 
themselves  out  to  have  aerial  battleships,  it  is 
time  the  United  States  did  also.  We  must  not 
be  left  behind,  especially  in  view  of  what  is  taking 
place  in  Europe." 

"I  suppose  that's  right,"  agreed  Ned.  "Have 
you  any  of  your  guns  ready?" 

"Yes,  all  but  the  mounting  of  them  on  the  sup- 
ports aboard  the  Mars.  I  haven't  dared  do  that 
yet,  and  fire  them,  until  I  provided  some  means 
of  taking  up  the  recoil.  Now  I'm  going  to  get 
right  to  work  on  that  problem." 

There  was  considerable  detailed  figuring  and 
computation  work  ahead  of  Tom  Swift,  and  I 
will  not  weary  you  by  going  into  the  details  of 
higher  mathematics.  Even  Ned  lost  interest  after 
the  start  of  the  problem,  though  he  was  interested 
when  Tom  took  down  the  door-check  and  began 
measuring  the  amount  of  force  it  would  take  up, 
computing  it  on  scales  and  spring  balances. 

Once  this  had  been  done,  and  Tom  had  figured 
just  how  much  force  could  be  expected  to  be 
taken  up  by  a  larger  check,  with  stronger  hydro- 
static valves,  the  young  inventor  explained: 

"And  now  to  see  how  much  recoil  force  ray 
guns  develop !" 


62     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

"Are  you  really  going  to  fire  the  guns  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"Surely,"  answered  Tom.  "That's  the  only 
way  to  get  at  real  results.  I'll  have  the  guns 
taken  out  and  mounted  in  a  big  field.  Then  we'll 
fire  them,  and  measure  the  recoil." 

"Well,  that  may  be  some  fun,"  spoke  Ned,  with 
a  grin.  "More  fun  than  all  these  figures,"  and 
he  looked  at  the  mass  of  details  on  Tom's  desk. 

This  was  the  second  or  third  day  after  the  fire 
in  the  red  shed,  and  in  the  interim  Tom  had  been 
busy  making  computations.  These  were  about 
finished.  Meanwhile  further  investigation  bad 
been  made  of  clues  leading  to  the  origin  of  the 
blaze  in  the  shed,  but  nothing  had  been  learned. 

A  photo-telephone  had  been  installed  near 
Eradicate's  quarters,  in  the  hope  that  the  mys- 
terious stranger  might  keep  his  promise,  and  come 
to  see  about  the  mule.  In  that  case  something 
would  have  been  learned  about  him.  But,  as  Tom 
feared,  the  man  did  not  appear. 

Ned  was  much  interested  in  the  guns,  and,  a 
little  later,  he  helped  Tom  and  Koku  mount  them 
in  a  vacant  lot.  The  giant's  strength  came  in 
handy  in  handling  the  big  parts. 

Mr.  Swift  strolled  past,  as  the  guns  were  being 
mounted  for  the  preliminary  test,  and  inquired 
what  his  son  was  doing. 


WARNINGS  63 

"It  will  never  work,  Tom,  never !"  declared  the 
aged  inventor,  when  informed.  "You  can't  take 
up  those  guns  in  your  air  craft,  and  fire  them 
with  any  degree  of  safety." 

"You  wait,  Dad,"  laughed  Tom.  "You  haven't 
yet  seen  how  the  Newton  hydrostatic  recoil  oper- 
ates." 

Ned  smiled  with  pleasure  at  this. 

It  took  nearly  a  week  to  get  all  the  guns 
mounted,  for  some  of  them  required  considerable 
work,  and  it  was  also  necessary  to  attach  gauges 
to  them  to  register  the  recoil  and  pressure.  In 
the  meanwhile  Tom  had  been-  in  further  com- 
munication with  government  experts  who  were 
soon  to  call  on  him  to  inspect  the  aerial  warship, 
with  a  view  to  purchase. 

"When  are  they  coming?"  asked  Ned,  as  he 
and  Tom  went  out  one  morning  to  make  the  first 
test  of  the  guns. 

"They  will  be  here  any  day,  now.  They  didn't 
set  any  definite  date.  I  suppose  they  want  to 
take  us  unawares,  to  see  that  I  don't  'frame-up' 
any  game  on  them.  Well,  I'll  be  ready  any  time 
they  come.  Now,  Koku,  bring  along  those  shells, 
and  don't  drop  any  of  them,  for  that  new  powder 
is  freakish  stuff." 

"Me  no  drop  any,  Master,"  spoke  the  giant,  as 


64     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

he  lifted  the  boxes  of  explosives  in  his  strong 
arms. 

The  largest  gun  was  loaded  and  aimed  at  a  dis- 
tant hill,  for  Tom  knew  that  if  the  recoil  appa- 
ratus would  take  care  of  the  excess  force  of  his 
largest  gun,  the  problem  of  the  smaller  ones 
would  be  easy  to  solve. 

"Here,  Rad,  where  are  you  going?"  Tom  asked, 
as  he  noticed  the  colored  man  walking  away,  after 
having  completed  a  task  assigned  to  him. 

"Where's  I  gwine,  Massa  Tom?" 

"Yes,  Rad,  that's  what  I  asked  you." 

"I — I'se  gwine  t'  feed  mah  mule,  Boomerang," 
said  the  colored  man  slowly.  "It's  his  eatin'  time, 
jest  now,  Massa  Tom." 

"Nonsense !    It  isn't  anywhere  near  noon  yet." 

"Yais,  sah,  Massa  Tom,  I  knows  dat,"  said 
Eradicate,  as  he  carefully  edged  away  from  the 
big  gun,  "but  I'se  done  changed  de  eatin'  hours 
ob  dat  mule.  He  had  a  little  touch  ob  indiges- 
tion de  udder  day,  an'  I'se  feedin'  him  diff'rent 
now.  So  I  guess  as  how  yo'll  hab  t'  'scuse  me 
now,  Massa  Tom." 

"Oh,  well,  trot  along,"  laughed  the  young  in- 
ventor. "I  guess  we  won't  need  you.  Is  every- 
thing all  right  there,  Koku  ?" 

"All  right,  Master." 

"Now,  Ned,  if  you'll  stand  here,"  went  on 


WARNINGS  6$ 

Tom,  "and  note  the  extreme  point  to  which  the 
hand  on  the  pressure  gauge  goes,  I'll  be  obliged 
to  you.    Just  jot  it  down  on  this  pad." 

"Here  comes  someone,"  remarked  the  bank, 
clerk,  as  he  saw  that  his  pencil  was  sharpened. 
He  pointed  to  the  field  back  of  them. 

"It's  Mr.  Damon,"  observed  Tom.  "We'll 
wait  until  he  arrives.    He'll  be  interested  in  this." 

"Bless  my  collar  button,  Tom !  What's  going 
on?"  asked  the  eccentric  man,  as  he  came  up. 
"Has  war  been  declared?" 

"Just  practicing,"  replied  the  young  inventor. 
"Getting  ready  to  put  the  armament  on  my  aerial 
warship." 

"Well,  as  long  as  I'm  behind  the  guns  I'm  all 
right,  I  suppose?" 

"Perfectly,"  Tom  replied.  "Now  then,  Ned,  I 
think  we'll  fire." 

There  was  a  moment  of  inspection,  to  see  that 
nothing  had  been  forgotten,  and  then  the  big 
gun  was  discharged.  There  was  a  loud  report, 
not  as  heavy,  though,  as  Ned  had  expected,  but 
there  was  no  puff  of  smoke,  for  Tom  was  using 
smokeless  powder.  Only  a  little  flash  of  flame 
was  observed. 

"Catch  the  figure,  Ned !"  Tom  cried. 

"I  have  it!"  was  the  answer.  "Eighty  thou- 
sand!" 


66     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"Good!  And  I  can  build  a  recoil  check  that 
will  take  up  to  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
pounds'  pressure.  That  ought  to  be  margin  of 
safety  enough.    Now  we'll  try  another  shot." 

The  echoes  of  the  first  had  hardly  died  away 
before  the  second  gun  was  ready  for  the  test. 
That,  too,  was  satisfactory,  and  then  the  smaller 
ones  were  operated.  These  were  not  quite  so 
satisfactory,  as  the  recoil  developed  was  larger, 
in  proportion  to  their  size,  than  Tom  had  fig- 
ured. 

"But  I  can  easily  put  a  larger  hydrostatic 
check  on  them,"  he  said.  "Now,  we'll  fire  by  bat- 
teries, and  see  what  the  total  is." 

Then  began  a  perfect  bombardment  of  the  dis- 
tant hillside,  service  charges  being  used,  and  ex- 
plosive shells  sent  out  so  that  dirt,  stones  and 
gravel  flew  in  all  directions.  Danger  signs  and 
flags  had  been  posted,  and  a  cordon  of  Tom's  men 
kept  spectators  away  from  the  hill,  so  no  one 
would  be  in  the  danger  zone. 

The  young  inventor  was  busy  making  some  cal- 
culations after  the  last  of  the  firing  had  been  com- 
pleted. Koku  was  packing  up  the  unfired  shells, 
and  Mr.  Damon  was  blessing  his  ear-drums,  and 
the  pieces  of  cotton  he  had  stuffed  in  to  protect 
them,  when  a  tall,  erect  man  was  observed  stroll- 
ing over  the  fields  in  the  direction  of  the  guns. 


WARNINGS  67 

"Somebody's  coming,  Tom,"  warned  Ned. 

"Yes,  and  a  stranger,  too,"  observed  Tom.  "I 
wonder  if  that  can  be  Eradicate's  Frenchman?" 

But  a  look  at  the  stranger's  face  disproved  that 
surmise.  He  had  a  frank  and  pleasant  counte- 
nance, obviously  American. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  he  began,  addressing 
everyone  in  general,  "but  I  am  looking  for  Tom 
Swift.     I  was  told  he  was  here." 

"I  am  Tom  Swift,"  replied  our  hero. 

"Ah!  Well,  I  am  Lieutenant  Marbury,  with 
whom  you  had  some  correspondence  recently 
about " 

"Oh,  yes,  Lieutenant  Marbury,  of  the  United 
States  Navy,"  interrupted  Tom.  "I'm  glad  to 
see  you,"  he  went  on,  holding  out  his  hand.  "We 
are  just  completing  some  tests  with  the  guns. 
You  called,  I  presume,  in  reference  to  my  aerial 
warship?" 

"That  is  it — yes.  Have  you  it  ready  for  a  trial 
flight?" 

"Well,  almost.  It  can  be  made  ready  in  a  few 
hours.  You  see,  I  have  been  delayed.  There  was 
a  fire  in  the  plant " 

"A  fire!"  exclaimed  the  officer  in  surprise. 
"How  was  that?  We  heard  nothing  of  it  in 
Washington." 

"No,  I  kept  it  rather  quiet,"  Tom  explained. 


68     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"We  had  reason  to  suspect  that  it  was  a  fire  pur- 
posely set,  in  a  shed  where  I  kept  a  quantity  of 
explosives." 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  Lieutenant  Marbury.  "This 
fits  in  with  what  I  have  heard.  And  did  you  not 
receive  warning?"  he  asked  Tom. 

"Warning?    No.    Of  what?" 

"Of  foreign  spies!"  was  the  unexpected  an- 
swer. "I  am  sorry.  Some  of  our  Secret  Service 
men  unearthed  something  of  a  plot  against  you, 
and  I  presumed  you  had  been  told  to  watch  out. 
If  you  had,  the  fire  might  not  have  occurred. 
There  must  have  been  some  error  in  Washings- 
ton.  But  let  me  tell  you  now,  Tom  Swift — be 
on  your  guard !" 


CHAPTER  VIII 


A   SUSPECTED   PLOT 


The  officer's  words  were  so  rilled  with  mean- 
ing' that  Tom  started.  Ned  Newton,  too,  showed 
the  effect  he  felt. 

"Do  you  really  mean  that?"  asked  the  young 
inventor,  looking  around  to  make  sure  his  father 
was  not  present.  On  account  of  Professor 
Swift's  weak  heart,  Tom  wished  to  spare  him  all 
possible  worry. 

"I  certainly  do  mean  it,"  insisted  Lieutenant 
Marbury.  "And,  while  I  am  rather  amazed  at 
the  views  of  the  fire,  for  I  did  not  think  the  plot- 
ters would  be  so  bold  as  that,  it  is  in  line  with 
what  I  expected,  and  what  we  suspected  in  Wash- 
ington." 

"And  that  was — what?"  asked  Tom. 

"The  existence  of  a  well-laid  plot,  not  only 
against  our  government,  but  against  you !" 

"And  why  have  they  singled  me  out  ?"  Tom  de- 
manded. 

"I  might  as  well  tell  it  from  the  beginning," 
69 


JO     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

the  officer  went  on.  "As  long  as  you  have  not 
received  any  official  warning  from  Washington 
you  had  better  hear  the  whole  story.  But  are  you 
sure  you  had  no  word?" 

"Well,  now,  I  won't  be  so  sure,"  Tom  con- 
fessed. "I  have  been  working  very  hard,  the  last 
two  days,  making  some  intricate  calculations.  I 
have  rather  neglected  my  mail,  to  tell  you  the 
truth. 

"And,  come  to  think  of  it,  there  were  several 
letters  received  with  the  Washington  postmark. 
But,  I  supposed  they  had  to  do  with  some  of 
my  patents,  and  I  only  casually  glanced  over 
them.  There  was  one  letter,  though,  that  I 
couldn't  make  head  or  tail  of." 

"Ha !  That  was  it !"  cried  the  lieutenant.  "It 
was  the  warning  in  cipher  or  code.  I  didn't  think 
they  would  neglect  to  send  it  to  you." 

"But  what  good  would  it  do  me  if  I  couldn't 
read  it?"  asked  Tom. 

"You  must  also  have  received  a  method  of  de- 
ciphering the  message,"  the  officer  said.  "Prob- 
ably you  overlooked  that.  The  Secret  Service 
men  sent  you  the  warning  in  code,  so  it  would 
not  be  found  out  by  the  plotters,  and,  to  make 
sure  you  could  understand  it,  a  method  of  trans- 
lating the  cipher  was  sent  in  a  separate  envelope. 
It  is  too  bad  you  missed  it." 


A  SUSPECTED  PLOT  71 

"Yes,  for  I  might  have  been  on  my  guard," 
agreed  Tom.  "The  red  shed  might  not  have 
burned,  but,  as  it  was,  only  slight  damage  was 
done." 

"Owing  to  the  fact  that  Tom  put  the  fire  out 
with  sand  ballast  from  his  dirigible!"  cried  Ned. 
"You  should  have  seen  it!" 

"I  should  have  liked  to  be  here,"  the  lieutenant 
spoke.  "But,  if  I  were  you,  Tom  Swift,  I  would 
take  means  to  prevent  a  repetition  of  such  things." 

"I  shall,"  Tom  decided.  "But,  if  we  want  to 
talk,  we  had  better  go  to  my  office,  where  we  can 
be  more  private.  I  don't  want  the  workmen  to 
hear  too  much." 

Now  that  the  firing  was  over,  a  number  of 
Tom's  men  from  the  shops  had  assembled  around 
the  cannon.  Most  of  them,  the  young  inventor 
felt,  could  be  trusted,  but  in  so  large  a  gathering 
one  could  never  be  sure. 

"Did  you  come  on  from  Washington  yester- 
day?" asked  Tom,  as  he,  Ned  and  the  officer 
strolled  toward  the  shed  where  was  housed  the 
aerial  warship. 

"Yes,  and  I  spent  the  night  in  New  York.  I 
arrived  in  town  a  short  time  ago,  and  came  right 
on  out  here.  At  your  house  I  was  told  you  were 
over  in  the  fields  conducting  experiments,  so  1 
came  on  here." 


72     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"Glad  you  did,"  Tom  said.  "I'll  soon  have 
something  to  show  you,  I  hope.  But  I  am  inter- 
ested in  hearing  the  details  of  this  suspected  plot. 
Are  you  sure  one  exists?" 

"Perfectly  sure,"  was  the  answer.  "We  don't 
know  all  the  details  yet,  nor  who  are  concerned  in 
it,  but  we  are  working  on  the  case.  The  Secret 
Service  has  several  agents  in  the  field. 

"We  are  convinced  in  Washington,"  went  on 
Lieutenant  Marbury,  when  he,  Tom  and  Ned 
were  seated  in  the  private  office,  "that  foreign 
spies  are  at  work  against  you  and  against  our 
government." 

"Why  against  me?"  asked  Tom,  in  wonder. 

"Because  of  the  inventions  you  have  perfected 
and  turned  over  to  Uncle  Sam — notably  the  giant' 
cannon,  which  rivals  anything  foreign  European 
powers  have,  and  the  great  searchlight,  which 
proved  so  effective  against  the  border  smugglers. 
The  success  of  those  two  alone,  to  say  nothing 
of  your  submarine,  has  not  only  made  foreign 
nations  jealous,  but  they  fear  you — and  us,"  the 
officer  went  on. 

"Well,  if  they  only  take  it  out  in  fear " 

"But  they  won't!"  interrupted  the  officer. 
"They  are  seeking  to  destroy  those  inventions. 
More  than  once,  of  late,  we  have  nipped  a  plot 
just  in  time." 


A  SUSPECTED  PLOT  73 

"Have  they  really  tried  to  damage  the  big 
gun?"  asked  Tom,  referring  to  one  he  had  built 
and  set  up  at  Panama. 

"They  have.  And  now  this  fire  proves  that 
they  are  taking  other  measures — they  are  work- 
ing directly  against  you." 

"Why,  I  wonder?" 

"Either  to  prevent  you  from  making  further 
inventions,  or  to  stop  you  from  completing  your 
latest — the  aerial  warship." 

"But  I  didn't  know  the  foreign  governments 
knew  about  that,"  Tom  exclaimed.  "It  was  a 
secret." 

"Few  secrets  are  safe  from  foreign  spies,"  de- 
slared  Lieutenant  Marbury.  "They  have  a  great 
ferreting-out  system  on  the  other  side.  We  are 
just  beginning  to  appreciate  it.  But  our  own  men 
have  not  been  idle." 

"Have  they  really  learned  anything?"  Tom 
asked. 

"Nothing  definite  enough  to  warrant  us  in 
acting,"  was  the  answer  of  the  government  man. 
"But  we  know  enough  to  let  us  see  that  the  plot 
is  far-reaching." 

"Are  the  French  in  it?"  asked  Ned  impulsively. 

"The  French!    Why  do  you  ask  that?" 

"Tell  him  about  Eradicate,  and  the  man  who 
wanted  to  buy  the  mule,  Tom,"  suggested  Ned 


74     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

Thereupon  the  young  inventor  mentioned  the 
story  told  by  Eradicate.  He  also  brought  out 
the  fire-bomb,  and  explained  his  theory  as  to  how 
it  had  operated  to  set  the  red  shed  ablaze. 

"I  think  you  are  right,"  said  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury.  "And,  as  regards  the  French,  I  might  say 
they  are  not  the  only  nation  banded  to  obtain 
our  secrets — yours  and  the  government's!" 

"But  I  thought  the  French  and  the  English 
were  friendly  toward  us !"  Ned  exclaimed. 

"So  they  are,  in  a  certain  measure,"  the  officer 
went  on.  "And  Russia  is,  too.  But,  in  all  for- 
eign countries  there  are  two  parties,  the  war 
party,  as  it  might  be  called,  and  the  peace  element 
"But  I  might  add  that  it  is  neither  France, 
England,  nor  Russia  that  we  must  fear.  It  is  a 
certain  other  great  nation,  which  at  present  I 
will  not  name." 

"And  you  think  spies  set  this  fire?" 
"I  certainly  do." 

"But  what  measures  shall  I  adopt  against  thig 
plot?"  Tom  asked. 

"We  will  talk  that  over,"  said  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury.  "But,  before  I  go  into  details,  I  want  to 
give  you  another  warning.     You  must  be  very 

careful  about " 

A  sudden  knock  on  the  door  interrupted  the 
speaker. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE   RECOIL    CHECK 


"Who  is  that?"  asked  Ned  Newton,  with  a 
quick  glance  at  his  chum. 

"'I  don't  know,"  Tom  answered.  "I  left  orders 
we  weren't  to  be  disturbed  unless  it  was  some- 
thing important." 

"May  be  something  has  happened,"  suggested 
the  navy  officer,  "another  fire,  perhaps,  or  a " 

"It  isn't  a  fire,"  Tom  answered.  "The  auto- 
matic alarm  would  be  ringing  before  this  in  that 
case." 

The  knock  was  repeated.  Tom  went  softly  to 
the  door  and  opened  it  quickly,  to  disclose,  stand- 
ing in  the  corridor,  one  of  the  messengers  em- 
ployed about  the  shops. 

"Well,  what  is  it  ?"  asked  Tom  a  bit  sharply. 

"Oh,  if  you  please,  Mr.  Swift,"  said  the  boy, 
"a  man  has  applied  for  work  at  the  main  office, 
and  you  know  you  left  orders  there  that  if  any 
machinists  came  along,  we  were  to " 

"Oh,  so  I  did,"  Tom  exclaimed.  "I  had  for- 
75 


76     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

gotten  about  that,"  he  went  on  to  Lieutenant 
Marbury  and  Ned.  "I  am  in  need  of  helpers  to 
rush  through  the  finishing  touches  on  my  aerial 
warship,  and  I  left  word,  if  any  applied,  as  they 
often  do,  coming  here  from  other  cities,  that  I 
wanted  to  see  them.  How  many  are  there?" 
Tom  asked  of  the  messenger. 

"Two,  this  time.  They  both  say  they're  good 
mechanics." 

"That's  what  they  all  say,"  interposed  Tom, 
with  a  smile.  "But,  though  they  may  be  good 
mechanics  in  their  own  line,  they  need  to  have 
special  qualifications  to  work  on  airships.  Tell 
them  to  wait,  Rodney,"  Tom  went  on  to  the  lad, 
"and  I'll  see  them  presently." 

As  the  boy  went  away,  and  Tom  closed  the 
door,  he  turned  to  Lieutenant  Marbury. 

"You  were  about  to  give  me  another  warning 
when  that  interruption  came.  You  might  com- 
plete it  now." 

"Yes,  it  was  another  warning,"  spoke  the  offi- 
cer, "and  one  I  hope  you  will  heed.  It  concerns 
yourself,  personally." 

"Do  you  mean  he  is  in  danger?"  asked  Ned 
quickly. 

"That's  exactly  what  I  do  mean,"  was  the 
prompt  reply.  "In  danger  of  personal  injury,  if 
not  something  worse." 


THE  RECOIL  CHECK  77 

Tom  did  not  seem  as  alarmed  as  he  might  rea- 
sonably have  been  under  the  circumstances. 

"Danger,  eh?"  he  repeated  coolly.  "On  the 
part  of  whom?" 

"That's  just  where  I  can't  warn  you,"  the  offi- 
cer replied.  "I  can  only  give  you  that  hint,  and 
beg  of  you  to  be  careful." 

"Do  you  mean  you  are  not  allowed  to  tell?" 
asked  Ned. 

"No,  indeed;  it  isn't  that!"  the  lieutenant 
hastened  to  assure  the  young  man.  "I  would 
gladly  tell,  if  I  knew.  But  this  plot,  like  the 
other  one,  directed  against  the  inventions  them- 
selves, is  so  shrouded  in  mystery  that  I  cannot 
get  to  the  bottom  of  it. 

"Our  Secret  Service  men  have  been  working 
on  it  for  some  time,  not  only  in  order  to  protect 
you,  because  of  what  you  have  done  for  the  gov- 
ernment, but  because  Uncle  Sam  wishes  to  pro- 
tect his  own  property,  especially  the  searchlight 
and  the  big  cannon.  But,  though  our  agents  have 
worked  hard,  they  have  not  been  able  to  get  any 
clues  that  would  put  them  on  the  right  trail. 

"So  we  can  only  warn  you  to  be  careful,  and 
this  I  do  in  all  earnestness.  That  was  part  of  my 
errand  in  coming  here,  though,  of  course,  I  am 
anxious  to  inspect  the  new  aerial  warship  you 
have  constructed.    So  watch  out  for  two  things — » 


78     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

your  inventions,  and,  more  than  all,  your  lifef 

"Do  you  really  think  they  would  do  me  bodily 
harm?"  Tom  asked,  a  trifle  skeptical. 

"I  certainly  do.  These  foreign  spies  are  des- 
perate. If  they  cannot  secure  the  use  of  these 
inventions  to  their  own  country,  they  are  deter- 
mined not  to  let  this  country  have  the  benefit  of 
them." 

"Well,  I'll  be  careful,"  Tom  promised.  "I'm 
no  more  anxious  than  anyone  else  to  run  my 
head  into  danger,  and  I  certainly  don't  want  any 
of  my  shops  or  inventions  destroyed.  The  fire 
in  the  red  shed  was  as  close  as  I  want  anything 
to  come." 

"That's  right !"  agreed  Ned.  "And,  if  there's 
anything  I  can  do,  Tom,  don't  hesitate  to  call  on 
me. 

"All  right,  old  man.  I  won't  forget.  And 
now,  perhaps,  you  would  like  to  see  the  Mars/' 
he  said  to  the  lieutenant. 

"I  certainly  would,"  was  the  ready  answer* 
"But  hadn't  you  better  see  those  men  who  are 
waiting  to  find  out  about  positions  here?" 

"There's  no  hurry  about  them,"  Tom  said. 
"We  have  applicants  every  day,  and  it's  earlier 
than  the  hour  when  I  usually  see  them.  They 
can  wait.  Now  I  want  your  opinion  on  my  new 
craft.     But,  you  must  remember  that  it  is  not 


THE  RECOIL  CHECK  79 

yet  completed,  and  only  recently  did  I  begin  to 
solve  the  problem  of  mounting  the  guns.  So  be 
a  little  easy  with  your  criticisms." 

Followed  by  Ned  and  Lieutenant  Marbury, 
Tom  led  the  way  into  the  big  airship  shed.  There, 
swaying  about  at  its  moorings,  was  the  immense 
aerial  warship.  To  Ned's  eyes  it  looked  complete 
enough,  but,  when  Tom  pointed  out  the  various 
parts,  and  explained  to  the  government  officer 
how  it  was  going  to  work,  Ned  understood  that 
considerable  yet  remained  to  be  done  on  it. 

Tom  showed  his  official  guest  how  a  new  sys- 
tem of  elevation  and  depressing  rudders  had  been 
adopted,  how  a  new  type  of  propeller  was  to  be 
used  and  indicated  several  other  improvements. 
The  lower,  or  cabin,  part  of  the  aircraft  could  be  ' 
entered  by  mounting  a  short  ladder  from  the 
ground,  and  Tom  took  Ned  and  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury  through  the  engine-room  and  other  com- 
partments of  the  Mars. 

"It  certainly  is  most  complete,"  the  officer  ob- 
served. "And  when  you  get  the  guns  mounted  I 
shall  be  glad  to  make  an  official  test.  You  un- 
derstand," he  went  on,  to  Tom,  "that  we  are  vi- 
tally interested  in  the  guns,  since  we  now  have 
many  aircraft  that  can  be  used  purely  for  scout- 
ing purposes.  What  we  want  is  something  for 
offense,  a  veritable  naval  terror  of  the  seas." 


80     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"I  understand,"  Tom  answered.  "And  I  am 
going  to  begin  work  on  mounting  the  guns  at 
once.  I  am  going  to  use  the  Newton  recoil 
check/'  he  added.  "Ned,  here,  is  responsible  for 
that." 

"Is  that  so?"  asked  the  lieutenant,  as  Tom 
clapped  his  chum  on  the  back. 

"Yes,  that's  his  invention." 

"Oh,  it  isn't  anything  of  the  sort,"  Ned  ob- 
jected.   "I  just " 

"Yes,  he  just  happened  to  solve  the  problem 
for  me!"  interrupted  Tom,  as  he  told  the  story 
of  the  door-spring. 

"A  good  idea!"  commented  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury. 

Tom  then  briefly  described  the  principle  on 
which  his  aerial  warship  would  work,  explaining 
how  the  lifting  gas  would  raise  it,  with  its  load 
of  crew,  guns  and  explosives,  high  into  the  air; 
how  it  could  then  be  sent  ahead,  backward,  to 
either  side,  or  around  in  a  circle,  by  means  of  the 
propellers  and  the  rudders,  and  how  it  could  be 
raised  or  lowered,  either  by  rudders  or  by  forcing 
more  gas  into  the  lifting  bags,  or  by  letting  some 
of  the  vapor  out. 

And,  while  this  was  being  done  by  the  pilot 
or  captain  in  charge,  the  crew  could  be  manning 
the  guns  with  which  hostile  airships  would  be 


THE  RECOIL  CHECK  8 I 

attacked,  and  bombs  dropped  on  the  forts  or  bat- 
tleships of  the  enemy. 

"It  seems  very  complete,"  observed  the  lieu- 
tenant. "I  shall  be  glad  when  I  can  give  it  an 
official  test." 

"Which  ought  to  be  in  about  a  week,"  Tom 
said.  "Meanwhile  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  be 
my  guest  here." 

And  so  that  was  arranged. 

Leaving  Ned  and  the  lieutenant  to  entertain 
each  other,  Tom  went  to  see  the  mechanics  who 
had  applied  for  places.  He  found  them  satisfac- 
tory and  engaged  them.  One  of  them  had 
worked  for  him  before.  The  other  was  a 
stranger,  but  he  had  been  employed  in  a  large 
aeroplane  factory,  and  brought  good  recommen- 
dations. 

There  followed  busy  days  at  the  Swift  plant, 
and  work  was  pushed  on  the  aerial  warship.  The 
hardest  task  was  the  mounting  of  the  guns,  and 
equipping  them  with  the  recoil  check,  without 
which  it  would  be  impossible  to  fire  them  with 
the  craft  sailing  through  the  air. 

But  finally  one  of  the  big  guns,  and  two  of 
the  smaller  ones  were  in  place,  with  the  apparatus 
designed  to  reduce  the  recoil  shock,  and  then  Tom 
decided  to  have  a  test  of  the  Mars. 

"Up  in  the  air,  do  you  mean?"  asked  Ned, 


82     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

who  was  spending  all  his  spare  time  with  his 
chum. 

"Well,  a  little  way  up  in  the  air,  at  least,"  Tom 
answered.  "I'll  make  a  sort  of  captive  balloon 
of  my  craft,  and  see  how  she  behaves.  I  don't 
want  to  take  too  many  chances  with  that  new 
recoil  check,  though  it  seems  to  work  perfectly  in 
theory." 

The  day  came  when,  for  the  first  time,  the 
'Mars  was  to  come  out  of  the  big  shed  where  she 
had  been  constructed.  The  craft  was  not  com- 
pleted for  a  flight  as  yet,  but  could  be  made  so 
in  a  few  days,  with  rush  work.  The  roof  of  the 
great  shed  slid  back,  and  the  big  envelope  con- 
taining the  buoyant  gas  rose  slowly  upward. 
There  was  a  cry  of  surprise  from  the  many  work- 
men in  the  yard,  as  they  saw,  most  of  them  for 
the  first  time,  che  wonderful  new  craft.  It  did 
not  go  up  very  high,  being  held  in  place  with  an- 
chor ropes. 

The  sun  glistened  on  the  bright  brass  and 
nickel  parts,  and  glinted  from  the  gleaming  bar- 
rels of  the  quick-firing  guns. 

"That's  enough!"  Tom  called  to  the  men  be- 
low, who  were  paying  out  the  ropes  from  the 
windlasses.    "Hold  her  there." 

Tom,  Ned,  Lieutenant  Marbury  and  Mr.  Da- 
mon were  aboard  the  captive  Mars. 


THE  RECOIL  CHECK  83 

Looking  about,  to  see  that  all  was  in  readiness, 
Tom  gave  orders  to  load  the  guns,  blank  charges 
being  used,  of  course. 

The  recoil  apparatus  was  in  place,  and  it  now 
remained  to  see  if  it  would  do  the  work  for 
which  it  was  designed. 

"All  ready?"  asked  the  young  inventor. 

"Bless  my  accident  insurance  policy!"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Damon.  "I'm  as  ready  as  ever  I 
shall  be,  Tom.    Let  'em  go!" 

"Hold  fast!"  cried  Tom,  as  he  prepared  to 
press  the  electrical  switch  which  would  set  off 
the  guns.  Ned  and  Lieutenant  Marbury  stood 
near  the  indicators  to  notice  how  much  of  the 
recoil  would  be  neutralized  by  the  check  appa- 
ratus. 

"Here  we  go !"  cried  the  young  inventor,  and, 
at  the  same  moment,  from  down  below  on  the 
ground,  came  a  warning  cry: 

"Don't  shoot,  Massa  Tom.  Don't  shoot!  Mah 
mule,  Boomerang " 

But  Eradicate  had  spoken  too  late.  Tom 
pressed  the  switch;  there  was  a  deafening  crash, 
a  spurt  of  flame,  and  then  followed  wild  cries  and 
confused  shouts,  while  the  echoes  of  the  reports 
rolled  about  the  hills  surrounding  Shopton. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE   NEW   MEN 


'What  was  the  matter  down  there  ?" 

"Was  anyone  hurt?" 

"Don't  forget  to  look  at  those  pressure 
gauges !" 

"Bless  my  ham  sandwich!" 

Thus  came  the  cries  from  those  aboard  the 
captive  Mars.  Ned,  Lieutenant  Marbury  and 
Tom  had  called  out  in  the  order  named.  And, 
of  course,  I  do  not  need  to  tell  you  what  remark 
Mr.  Damon  made.  Tom  glanced  toward  where 
Ned  and  the  government  man  stood,  and  saw 
that  they  had  made  notes  of  the  pressure  recorded 
on  the  recoil  checks  directly  after  the  guns  were 
fired.  Mr.  Damon,  blessing  innumerable  objects 
under  his  breath,  was  looking  over  the  side  of  the 
rail  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  commotion  and 
cries  of  warning  from  below. 

"I  don't  believe  it  was  anything  serious,  Tom," 
said  the  odd  man.    "No  one  seems  to  be  hurt." 

"Look  at  Eradicate!"  suddenly  exclaimed  Ned. 
84 


THE  NEW  MEN  85 

"And  his  mule !  I  guess  that's  what  the  trouble 
was,  Tom!" 

They  looked  to  where  the  young  bank  em- 
ployee pointed,  and  saw  the  old  colored  man, 
seated  on  the  seat  of  his  ramshackle  wagon,  do- 
ing his  best  to  pull  down  to  a  walk  the  big  gallop- 
ing mule,  which  was  dragging  the  vehicle  around 
in  a  circle. 

"Whoa,  dere!"  Eradicate  was  shouting,  as  he 
pulled  on  the  lines.  "Whoa,  dere !  Dat's  jest  laik 
yo',  Boomerang,  t'  run  when  dere  ain't  no  call 
fo'  it,  nohow!  Ef  I  done  wanted  yo'  t'  git  a 
move  on,  yo'd  lay  down  'side  de  road  an'  go  to 
sleep.    Whoa,  now!" 

But  the  noise  of  the  shots  had  evidently  fright- 
ened the  long-eared  animal,  and  he  was  in  no 
mood  for  stopping,  now  that  he  had  once  started. 
It  was  not  until  some  of  the  workmen  ran  out 
from  the  group  where  they  had  gathered  to  watch 
Tom's  test,  and  got  in  front  of  Boomerang,  that 
they  succeeded  in  bringing  him  to  a  halt. 

Eradicate  climbed  slowly  down  from  the  seat, 
and  limped  around  until  he  stood  in  front  of  his 
pet. 

"Yo' — yo're  a  nice  one,  ain't  yo'?"  he  de- 
manded in  sarcastic  tones.  "Yo'  done  enough 
runnin'  in  a  few  minutes  fo'  a  week  ob  Sundays, 
an'  now  I  won't  be  able  t'  git  a  move  out  ob  ye! 


86     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

I'se  ashamed  ob  yo',  dat's  what  I  is!  Puffickly 
ashamed  ob  yo'.  Go  'long,  now,  an'  yo'  won't 
git  no  oats  dish  yeah  day !  No  sah !"  and,  highly 
indignant,  Eradicate  led  the  now  slowly-ambling 
mule  off  to  the  stable. 

"I  won't  shoot  again  until  you  have  him  shut 
up,  Rad!"  laughed  Tom.  "I  didn't  know  you 
were  so  close  when  I  set  off  those  guns." 

"Dat's  all  right,  Massa  Tom,"  was  the  reply. 
"I  done  called  t'  you  t'  wait,  but  yo'  didn't  heah 
me,  I  'spects.  But  it  doan't  mattah,  now.  Shoot 
all  yo'  laik,  Boomerang  won't  run  any  mo'  dis 
week.  He  done  runned  his  laigs  off  now.  Shoot 
away!" 

But  Tom  was  not  quite  ready  to  do  this.  He 
wanted  to  see  what  effect  the  first  shots  had  had 
on  his  aerial  warship,  and  to  learn  whether  or 
not  the  newly  devised  recoil  check  had  done  what 
was  expected  of  it. 

"No  more  shooting  right  away,"  called  the 
young  inventor.  "I  want  to  see  how  we  made 
out  with  the  first  round.  How  did  she  check  up, 
Ned?" 

"Fine,  as  far  as  I  can  tell." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  added  Lieutenant  Marbury.i 
"The  recoil  was  hardly  noticeable,  though,  of 
course,  with  the  full  battery  of  guns  in  use,  it 
might  be  more  so." 


THE  NEW  MEN  8/ 

"I  hope  not,"  answered  Tom.  "I  haven't  used 
the  full  strength  of  the  recoil  check  yet.  I  can 
tune  it  up  more,  and  when  I  do,  and  when  I  have 
it  attached  to  all  the  guns,  big  and  little,  I  think 
we'll  do  the  trick.    But  now  for  a  harder  test." 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  spent  in  trying  out 
the  guns,  firing  them  with  practice  and  service 
charges,  though  none  of  the  shells  used  contained 
projectiles.  It  would  not  have  been  possible  to 
shoot  these,  with  the  Mars  held  in  place  in  the 
midst  of  Tom's  factory  buildings. 

"Well,  is  she  a  success,  Tom?"  asked  Ned, 
When  the  experimenting  was  over  for  the  time 
being. 

"I  think  I  can  say  so — yes,"  was  the  answer, 
with  a  questioning  look  at  the  officer. 

"Indeed  it  is — a  great  success !  We  must  give 
the  Newton  shock  absorber  due  credit." 

Ned  blushed  with  pleasure. 

"It  was  only  my  suggestion,"  he  said.  "Tom 
worked  it  all  out." 

"But  I  needed  the  suggestion  to  start  with," 
the  young  inventor  replied. 

"Of  course  something  may  develop  when  you 
take  your  craft  high  in  the  air,  and  discharge  the 
guns  there,"  said  the  lieutenant.  "In  a  rarefied 
atmosphere  the  recoil  check  may  not  be  as  effec- 
tive as  at  the  earth's  surface.    But,  in  such  case. 


88     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

doubtless,  you  can  increase  the  strength  of  the 
springs  and  the  hydrostatic  valves." 

"Yes,  I  counted  on  that,"  Tom  explained.  "I 
shall  have  to  work  out  that  formula,  though,  and 
be  ready  for  it.  But,  on  the  whole,  I  am  pretty 
well  satisfied." 

"And  indeed  you  may  well  feel  that  way,"  com- 
mented the  government  official. 

The  Mars  was  hauled  back  into  the  shed,  and 
the  roof  slid  shut  over  the  craft.  Much  yet  re- 
mained to  do  on  it,  but  now  that  Tom  was  sure 
the  important  item  of  armament  was  taken  care 
of,  he  could  devote  his  entire  time  to  the  finishing 
touches. 

As  his  plant  was  working  on  several  other 
pieces  of  machinery,  some  of  it  for  the  United 
States  Government,  and  some  designed  for  his 
own  use,  Tom  found  himself  obliged  to  hire  sev- 
eral new  hands.  An  advertisement  in  a  New 
York  newspaper  brought  a  large  number  of  re- 
plies, and  for  a  day  or  two  Tom  was  kept  busy 
sifting  out  the  least  desirable,  and  arranging  to 
see  those  whose  answers  showed  they  knew  some- 
thing of  the  business  requirements. 

Meanwhile  Lieutenant  Marbury  remained  as 
Tom's  guest,  and  was  helpful  in  making  sugges- 
tions that  would  enable  the  young  inventor  to 
meet  the  government's  requirements. 


THE  NEW  MEN  89 

*I'd  like,  also,  to  get  on  the  track  of  those 
Spies  who,  I  am  sure,  wish  to  do  you  harm,"  said 
the  lieutenant,  "but  clues  seem  to  be  scarce 
around  here." 

"They  are,  indeed,"  agreed  Tom.  "I  guess  the 
way  in  which  we  handled  that  fire  in  the  red  shed 
sort  of  discouraged  them." 

Lieutenant  Marbury  shook  his  head. 

"They're  not  so  easily  discouraged  as  that,'* 
he  remarked.  "And,  with  the  situation  in  Europe 
growing  more  acute  every  day,  I  am  afraid  some 
of  those  foreigners  will  take  desperate  measures 
to  gain  their  ends." 

"What  particular  ends  do  you  mean?" 

"Well,  I  think  they  will  either  try  to  so  injure 
you  that  you  will  not  be  able  to  finish  this  aerial 
warship,  or  they  will  damage  the  craft  itself,  steal 
your  plans,  or  damage  some  of  your  other  in 
ventions." 

"But  what  object  would  they  have  in  doing 
such  a  thing?"  Tom  wanted  to  know.  "How 
would  that  help  France,  Germany  or  Russia,  to 
do  me  an  injury  ?" 

"They  are  seeking  to  strike  at  the  United  States 
through  you,"  was  the  answer.  "They  don't  want 
Uncle  Sam  to  have  such  formidable  weapons  as 
your  great  searchlight,  the  giant  cannon,  or  this 
new  warship  of  the  clouds." 


90     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"But  why  not,  as  long  as  the  United  States 
does  not  intend  to  go  to  war  with  any  of  the  for- 
eign nations?"  Tom  inquired. 

"No,  it  is  true  we  do  not  intend  to  go  to  war 
with  any  of  the  conflicting  European  nations," 
admitted  Lieutenant  Marbury,  "but  you  have  no 
idea  how  jealous  each  of  those  foreign  nations  is 
of  all  the  others.  Each  one  fears  that  the  United 
States  will  cease  to  be  neutral,  and  will  aid  one 
or  the  other." 

"Oh,  so  that's  it?"  exclaimed  Tom. 

"Yes,  each  nation,  which  may,  at  a  moment's 
notice,  be  drawn  into  a  war  with  one  or  more 
rival  nations,  fears  that  we  may  throw  in  our 
lot  with  its  enemies." 

"And,  to  prevent  that,  they  want  to  destroy 
some  of  my  inventions?"  asked  Tom. 

"That's  the  way  I  believe  it  will  work  out. 
So  you  must  be  careful,  especially  since  you  have 
taken  on  so  many  new  men." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  the  young  inventor.  "I 
have  had  to  engage  more  strangers  than  ever  be- 
fore, for  I  am  anxious  to  get  the  Mars  finished 
and  give  it  a  good  test.  And,  now  that  you  have 
mentioned  it,  there  are  some  of  those  men  of 
whom  I  am  a  bit  suspicious." 

"Have  they  done  anything  to  make  you  feel 
that  way?"  asked  the  lieutenant. 


THE  NEW  MEN  gi 

"Well,  not  exactly ;  it  is  more  their  bearing,  and 
the  manner  in  which  they  go  about  the  works.  I 
must  keep  my  eye  on  them,  for  it  takes  only  a 
few  discontented  men  to  spoil  a  whole  shop  full. 
I  will  be  on  my  guard." 

"And  not  only  about  your  new  airship  and 
other  inventions,"  said  the  officer,  "but  about 
yourself,  personally.    Will  you  do  that?" 

"Yes,  though  I  don't  imagine  anything  like 
that  will  happen." 

"Well,  be  on  your  guard,  at  all  events,"  warned 
Lieutenant  Marbury. 

As  Tom  had  said,  he  had  been  obliged  to  hire 
a  number  of  new  men.  Some  of  these  were  ma- 
chinists who  had  worked  for  him,  or  his  father, 
on  previous  occasions,  and,  when  tasks  were  few, 
had  been  dismissed,  to  go  to  other  shops.  These 
men,  Tom  felt  sure,  could  be  relied  upon. 

But  there  were  a  number  of  others,  from  New 
York,  and  other  large  cities,  of  whom  Tom  was 
not  so  sure. 

"You  have  more  foreigners  than  I  ever  knew 
you  to  hire  before,  Tom,"  his  father  said  to  him 
one  day,  coming  back  from  a  tour  of  the  shops. 

"Yes,  I  have  quite  a  number,**  Tom  admitted* 
"But  they  are  all  good  workmen  They  stood 
the  test." 

"Yes,  some  of  them  are  too  good/*  observed 


92     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

the  older  inventor.  "I  saw  one  of  them  making 
up  a  small  motor  the  other  day,  and  he  was  wind- 
ing the  armature  a  new  way.  I  spoke  to  him 
about  it,  and  he  tried  to  prove  that  his  way  was 
an  improvement  on  yours.  Why,  he'd  have  had 
it  short-circuited  in  no  time  if  I  hadn't  stopped 
him." 

"Is  that  so?"  asked  Tom.  "That  is  news  to 
me.    I  must  look  into  this." 

"Are  any  of  the  new  men  employed  on  the 
Mars?"  Mr.  Swift  asked. 

"No,  not  yet,  but  I  shall  have  to  shift  some 
there  from  other  work  I  think,  in  order  to  get 
finished  on  time." 

"Well,  they  will  bear  watching  I  think,"  his 
father  said. 

"Why,  have  you  seen  anything — do  you '* 

began  the  young  man,  for  Mr.  Swift  had  not  been 
told  of  the  suspicions  of  the  lieutenant. 

"Oh,  it  isn't  anything  special,"  the  older  inven- 
tor went  on,  "Only  I  wouldn't  let  a  man  I 
didn't  know  much  about  get  too  much  knowledge 
of  my  latest  invention." 

"I  won't,  Dad.  Thanks  for  telling  me.  This 
latest  craft  is  sure  going  to  be  a  beauty/' 

"Then  you  think  it  will  work,  Tom?** 

"I'm  sure  of  it,  Dad!" 

Mr.  Swift  shook  his  head  in  doubt. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A  DAY  OFF 

Tom  Swift  pondered  long  and  intently  over 
what  his  father  had  said  to  him.  He  sat  for 
several  minutes  in  his  private  office,  after  the 
aged  inventor  had  passed  out,  reviewing  in  his 
mind  the  talk  just  finished. 

"I  wonder,"  said  Tom  slowly,  "if  any  of  the 
new  men  could  have  obtained  work  here  for  the 
purpose  of  furthering  that  plot  the  lieutenant 
suspects?    I  wonder  if  that  could  be  true?" 

And  the  more  Tom  thought  of  it,  the  more 
he  was  convinced  that  such  a  thing  was  at  least 
possible. 

"I  must  make  a  close  inspection,  and  weed  out 
any  suspicious  characters,"  he  decided,  "though 
I  need  every  man  I  have  working  now,  to  get 
the  Mars  finished  in  time.  Yes,  I  must  look  into 
this." 

Tom  had  reached  a  point  in  his  work  where  he 
could  leave  much  to  his  helpers.  He  had  several 
good  foremen,  and,  with  his  father  to  take  gen- 
93 


94     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIB 

eral  supervision  over  more  important  details,  the 
young  inventor  had  more  time  to  himselfc  Of 
course  he  did  not  lay  too  many  burdens  on  his 
father's  shoulders  since  Mr.  Swift's  health  was 
not  of  the  best. 

But  Tom's  latest  idea,  the  aerial  warship,  wa3 
so  well  on  toward  completion  that  his  presence 
was  not  needed  in  that  shop  more  than  two  or 
three  times  a  day. 

"When  I'm  not  there  I'll  go  about  in  the  other 
shops,  and  sort  of  size  up  the  situation,"  he  de- 
cided* "I  may  be  able  to  get  a  line  on  some  of 
those  plotters,  if  there  are  any  here/* 

Lieutenant  Marbury  had  departed  for  a  time, 
to  look  after  some  personal  matters,  but  he  was 
to  return  inside  of  a  week,  when  it  was  hoped  to 
give  the  aerial  warship  its  first  real  test  in  flighty 
and  under  some  of  the  conditions  that  it  would 
meet  with  in  actual  warfare. 

As  Tom  was  about  to  leave  his  office,  to  put 
into  effect  his  new  Resolution  to  make  a  casual 
inspection  of  the  other  shops,  he  met  Koku,  the 
giant,  coming  in.  Koku's  hands  and  face  were 
black  with  oil  and  machine  filings. 

"Well,  what  have  you  been  doing?9*  Tom 
wanted  to  know.  "Did  you  have  an  accident  ^ 
For  Koku  had  no  knowledge  of  machinery,  and 
could  not  even  be  trusted  to  tighten  up  a  simple 


A  DAY  OFF  95 

nut  by  himself o  But  if  some  one  stood  near  him* 
and  directed  him  how  to  apply  his  enormous 
strength,  Koku  could  do  more  than  several  ma« 
chines. 

"No  accident,  Master,"  he  replied.  "I  help 
man  lift  that  hammer-hammer  thing  that  pounds 
so.    It  get  stuck!" 

"What,  the  hammer  of  the  drop  forger?"  cried 
Tom.     "Was  that  out  of  order  again?'* 

"Him  stuck,"  explained  Koku  simply, 

There  was  an  automatic  trip-hammer  in  one 
of  the  shops,  used  for  pounding  out  drop  forg« 
IngH,  and  this  hammer  seemed  to  take  especial 
delight  in  getting  out  of  order.  Very  often  it 
jammed,  or  "stuck,"  as  Koku  described  it,  and 
if  the  hammer  could  not  be  forced  back  on  the 
channel  or  upright  guide-plates,  it  meant  that  it 
must  be  taken  apart,  and  valuable  time  lost  Once 
Koku  had  been  near  when  the  hammer  got  out 
of  order,  and  while  the  workmen  were  preparing 
to  dismantle  it,  the  giant  seized  the  big  block  of 
steel,  and  with  a  heave  of  his  mighty  shoulders 
forced  it  back  on  the  guides. 

"And  is  that  what  you  did  this  time?"  asked 
Tom. 

"Yes,  Masterc  Me  fix  hammer,"  Koku  an- 
swered. "I  get  dirty,  I  no  care»  Man  say  I  m> 
can  fix.    I  show  him  I  can  I" 


96     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP: 

"What  man  said  that?" 

"Man  who  run  hammer.  Ha!  I  lift  him  by 
one  finger!  He  say  he  no  like  to  work  on  ham- 
mer. He  want  to  work  on  airship.  I  tell  him  I 
tell  you,  maybe  you  give  him  job — he  baby! 
Koku  can  work  hammer.  Me  fix  it  when  it  get 
stuck." 

"Well,  maybe  you  know  what  you're  talking 
about,  but  I  don't,"  said  Tom,  with  a  pleasant 
smile  at  his  big  helper.  "Come  on,  Koku,  we'll 
go  see  what  it  all  means/5 

"Koku  work  hammer,  maybe  ?"  asked  the  giant 
hopefully. 

"Well,  I'll  see,"  half  promised  Tom.  "If  it's 
going  to  get  out  of  gear  all  the  while  it  might 
pay  me  to  keep  you  at  it  so  you  could  get  it  back 
in  place  whenever  it  kicked  up  a  fuss,  and  so  save 
time.    I'll  see  about  it." 

Koku  led  the  way  to  the  shop  where  the  trip- 
hammer was  installed..  It  was  working  perfectly 
now,  as  Tom  could  tell  by  the  thundering  blows 
it  struck.  The  man  operating  it  looked  up  as 
Tom  approached,  and,  at  a  gesture  from  the 
young  inventor,  shut  off  the  power. 

"Been  having  trouble  here?"  asked  Tom,  not- 
ing that  the  workman  was  one  of  the  new  hands 
lie  had  hired. 

"Yes,  sir,  a  little/*  was  the  respectful  answer,, 


A  DAY  OFF  97 

"This  hammer  goes  on  a  strike  every  now  and 
then,  and  gets  jammed.  Your  giant  there  forced 
it  back  into  place,  which  is  more  than  I  could  do 
with  a  big  bar  for  a  lever.  He  sure  has  some 
muscle." 

"Yes,"  agreed  Tom,  "he's  pretty  strong.  But 
what's  this  you  said  about  wanting  to  give  up 
this  job,  and  go  on  the  airship  construction." 

The  man  turned  red  under  his  coat  of  grime. 

"I  didn't  intend  him  to  repeat  that  to  you,  Mr. 
Swift,"  he  said.  "I  was  a  little  put  out  at  the 
way  this  hammer  worked.  I  lose  so  much  time 
at  it  that  I  said  I'd  like  to  be  transferred  to  the 
airship  department.  I've  worked  in  one  before. 
But  I'm  not  making  a  kick,"  he  added  quickly. 
"Work  is  too  scarce  for  that." 

"I  understand,"  said  Tom.  "I  have  been  think- 
ing of  making  a  change.  Koku  seems  to  like  this 
hammer,  and  knows  how  to  get  it  in  order  once 
it  gets  off  the  guides.  You  say  you  have  had 
experience  in  airship  construction?" 

"Yes,  sir.  I've  worked  on  the  engines,  and 
on  the  planes." 

"Know  anything  about  dirigible  balloons?" 

"Yes,  I've  worked  on  them,  too,  but  the  engi- 
neering part  is  my  specialty.  I'm  a  little  out  of 
my  element  on  a  trip-hammer." 

"I  see.     Well,  perhaps  I'll  give  you  a  trial. 


98     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

Meanwhile  you  might  break  Koku  in  on  operat- 
ing this  machine.  If  I  transfer  you  I'll  put  him 
on  this  hammer.'* 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Swift!  I'll  show  him  all  I 
know  about  it.  Oh,  there  goes  the  hammer 
again!"  he  exclaimed,  for,  as  he  started  it  up,  as 
Tom  turned  away,  the  big  piece  of  steel  once 
more  jammed  on  the  channel-plates. 

"Me  fix!"  exclaimed  the  giant  eagerly,  anxious 
for  a  chance  to  exhibit  his  great  strength. 

"Wait  a  minute!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "I  want 
to  get  a  look  at  that  machine." 

He  inspected  it  carefully  before  he  signaled  for 
Koku  to  force  the  hammer  back  into  place.  But, 
if  Tom  saw  anything  suspicious,  he  said  nothing. 
There  was,  however,  a  queer  look  on  his  face  as 
he  turned  aside,  and  he  murmered  to  himself,  as 
he  walked  away : 

"So  you  want  to  be  transferred  to  the  airship 
department,  do  you?  Well,  we'll  see  about  that. 
We'll  see." 

Tom  had  more  problems  to  solve  than  those 
t>f  making  an  aerial  warship  that  would  be  accept- 
able to  the  United  States  Govermnent. 

Ned  Newton  called  on  his  chum  that  evening. 
The  two  talked  of  many  things,  gradually  veer- 
ing around  to  the  subject  uppermost  in  Tom'§ 
mind — his  new  aircraft. 


A  DAY  OFF  99 

"You're  thinking  too  much  of  that,"  Ned 
warned  him.  "You're  as  bad  as  the  time  you  went 
for  your  first  flight." 

"I  suppose  I  am,"  admitted  Tom.  "But  the 
success  of  the  Mars  means  a  whole  lot  to  me. 
And  that's  something  I  nearly  forgot.  I've  got 
to  go  out  to  the  shop  now.  Want  to  come 
along,  Ned?" 

"Sure,  though  I  tell  you  that  you're  working 
too  hard — burning  the  electric  light  at  both  ends." 

"This  is  just  something  simple,"  Tom  said. 
"It  won't  take  long." 

He  went  out,  followed  by  his  chum. 

"But  this  isn't  the  way  to  the  airship  shed," 
objected  the  young  bank  clerk,  as  he  noted  in 
which  direction  Tom  was  leading  him. 

"I  know  it  isn't,"  Tom  replied.  "But  I  want 
to  look  at  one  of  the  trip-hammers  in  the  forge 
shop  when  none  of  the  men  is  around.  I've  been, 
having  a  little  trouble  there." 

"Trouble!"  exclaimed  his  chum.  "Has  that 
plot  Lieutenant  Marbury  spoke  of  developed?" 

"Not  exactly.  This  is  something  else,"  and 
Tom  told  of  the  trouble  with  the  big  hammer. 

"I  had  an  idea,"  the  young  inventor  said,  "that 
the  man  at  the  machine  let  it  get  out  of  order 
purposely,  so  I'd  change  him.  I  want  to  see  if 
my  suspicions  are  correct." 


IOO     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

Tom  carefully  inspected  the  hammer  by  the 
light  of  a  powerful  portable  electric  lamp  Ned 
held. 

"Ha!    There  it  is!"  Tom  suddenly  exclaimed. 

"Something  wrong?"  Ned  inquired. 

"Yes.  This  is  what's  been  throwing  the  ham- 
mer off  the  guides  all  the  while,"  and  Tom  pulled 
out  a  small  steel  bolt  that  had  been  slipped  into  an 
oil  hole.  A  certain  amount  of  vibration,  he  ex- 
plained to  Ned,  would  rattle  the  bolt  out  so  that 
it  would  force  the  hammer  to  one  side,  throwing 
it  off  the  channel-plates,  and  rendering  it  useless 
for  the  time  being. 

"A  foxy  trick,"  commented  Tom.  "No  won- 
der the  machine  got  out  of  kilter  so  easily." 

"Do  you  think  it  was  done  purposely  ?" 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  say.  But  I'm  going 
to  watch  that  man.  He  wants  to  be  transferred 
to  the  airship  department.  He  put  this  in  the 
hammer,  perhaps,  to  have  an  excuse  for  a  change. 
Well,  I'll  give  it  to  him." 

"You  don't  mean  that  you'd  take  a  fellow  like 
that  and  put  him  to  work  on  your  new  aerial  war- 
ship, do  you,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  will,  Ned.  You  see,  I  look  at 
it  this  way:  I  haven't  any  real  proof  against  him 
now.  He  could  only  laugh  at  me  if  I  accused 
him.    But  you've  heard  the  proverb  about  giving 


A  DAY  OFF  IOI 

a  calf  rope  enough  and  he'll  hang  himself,  haven't 
you?" 

"I  think  I  have." 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  give  this  fellow  a  little 
rope.  I'll  transfer  him,  as  he  asks,  and  I'll  keep 
a  close  watch  on  him." 

"But  won't  it  be  risky?" 

"Perhaps,  but  no  more  so  than  leaving  him  in 
here  to  work  mischief.  If  he  is  hatching  a  plot, 
the  sooner  it's  over  with  the  better  I  shall  like  it. 
I  don't  like  a  shot  to  hang  fire.  I'm  warned  now, 
and  I'll  be  ready  for  him.  I  have  a  line  on  whom 
to  suspect.  This  is  the  first  clue,"  and  Tom  held 
up  the  incriminating  bolt. 

"I  think  you're  taking  too  big  a  risk,  Tom," 
his  chum  said.     "Why  not  discharge  the  man?" 

"Because  that  might  only  smooth  things  over 
for  a  time.  If  this  plot  is  being  laid  the  sooner  it 
-Comes  to  a  head,  and  breaks,  the  better.  Have  it 
done,  short,  sharp  and  quick,  is  my  motto.  Yes, 
I'll  shift  him  in  the  morning.  Oh,  but  I  wish  it 
was  all  over,  and  the  Mars  was  accepted  by  Uncle 
Sam !"  and  Tom  put  his  hand  to  his  head  with  a 
tired  gesture. 

"Say,  old  man!"  exclaimed  Ned,  "what  you 
want  is  a  day  off,  and  I'm  going  to  see  that  you 
get  it.     You  need  a  little  vacation." 

"  Perhaps  I  do,"  assented  Tom  wearily. 


102     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

"Then  you'll  have  it!"  cried  Ned.  "There's 
going  to  be  a  little  picnic  to-morrow.  Why  can't 
you  go  with  Mary  Nestor?  She'd  like  you  to  take 
her,  I'm  sure.  Her  cousin,  Helen  Randall,  is  on 
|rom  New  York,  and  she  wants  to  go,  also." 

"How  do  you  know?"  asked  Tom  quickly. 

"Because  she  said  so,"  laughed  Ned.  "I  was 
over  to  the  house  to  call.  I  have  met  Helen  be- 
fore, and  I  suggested  that  you  and  I  would  take 
the  two  girls,  and  have  a  day  off.  You'll  come, 
won't  you?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  spoke  Tom  slowly.  "I 
ought  to " 

"Nonsense !  Give  up  work  for  one  day !"  urged 
Ned.  "Come  along.  It'll  do  you  good — get  the 
cobwebs  out  of  your  head." 

"All  right,  I'll  go,"  assented  Tom,  after  a  mo- 
ment's thought. 

The  next  day,  having  instructed  his  father  and 
the  foremen  to  look  well  to  the  various  shops, 
and  having  seen  that  the  work  on  the  new  aerial 
warship  was  progressing  favorably,  Tom  left  for 
a.  day's  outing  with  his  chum  and  the  two  girls. 

The  picnic  was  held  in  a  grove  that  surrounded 
a  small  lake,  and  after  luncheon  the  four  friends 
went  for  a  ride  in  a  launch  Tom  hired.  They 
went  to  the  upper  end  of  the  lake,  in  rather  a 
pretty  but  lonesome  locality. 


A  DAY  OFF  103 

"Tom,  you  look  tired,"  said  Mary.  "I'm  sure 
you've  been  working  too  hard !" 

"Why,  I'm  not  working  any  harder  than 
usual,"  Tom  insisted. 

"Yes,  he  is,  too !"  declared  Ned,  "and  he's  run- 
ning more  chances,  too." 

"Chances?"  repeated  Mary. 

"Oh,  that's  all  bosh !"  laughed  Tom.  "Come 
ion,  let's  go  ashore  and  walk." 

"That  suits  me,"  spoke  Ned.  Helen  and  Mary 
assented,  and  soon  the  four  young  persons  were 
strolling  through  the  shady  wood. 

After  a  bit  the  couples  became  separated,  and 
Tom  found  himself  walking  beside  Mary  in  a 
woodland  path.  The  girl  glanced  at  her  com- 
panion's face,  and  ventured : 

"A  penny  for  your  thoughts,  Tom." 

"They're  worth  more  than  that,"  he  replied 
gallantly.     "I  was  thinking  of — you." 

"Oh,  how  nicely  you  say  it !"  she  laughed.  "But 
I  know  better !  You're  puzzling  over  some  prob- 
lem. Tell  me,  what  did  Ned  mean  when  he  hinted 
at  danger?    Is  there  any,  Tom?" 

"None  at  all,"  he  assured  her.  "It's  just  a  sort 
■of  notion — 1 — " 

Mary  made  a  sudden  gesture  of  silence. 

"Hark !"  she  whispered  to  Tom,  "I  heard  some- 
one mention  your  name  then.    Listen!" 


CHAPTER    XII 


A   NIGHT   ALARM 


Mary  Nestor  spoke  with  such  earnestness, 
and  her  action  in  catching  hold  of  Tom's  arm 
to  enjoin  silence  was  so  pronounced  that,  though 
he  had  at  first  regarded  the  matter  in  the  light 
of  a  joke,  he  soon  thought  otherwise.  He 
glanced  from  the  girl's  face  to  the  dense  under- 
brush on  either  side  of  the  woodland  path. 

"What  is  it,  Mary?"  he  asked  in  a  whisper. 

"I  don't  just  know.  I  heard  whispering,  and 
thought  it  was  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  of  the 
trees.  Then  someone  spoke  your  name  quite 
loudly.     Didn't  you  hear  it?  " 

Tom  shook  his  head  in  negation. 

"  It  may  be  Ned  and  his  friend,"  he  whispered, 
his  lips  close  to  Mary's  ear. 

"  I  think  not,"  was  her  answer.  "Listen;  there 
it  is  again." 

Distinctly  then,  Tom  heard,  from  some  open- 
ing in  the  screen  of  bushes,  his  own  name  spoken. 

"Did  you  hear  it?  "  asked  Mary,  barely  form- 
104 


A  NIGHT  ALARM  105 

mg  tne  words  with  her  lips.  But  Tom  could  read 
their  motion. 

"Yes,"  he  nodded.  Then,  motioning  to  Mary 
to  remain  where  she  was,  he  stepped  forward, 
taking  care  to  tread  only  on  grassy  places  where 
there  were  no  little  twigs  or  branches  to  break 
and  betray  his  presence.  He  was  working  his 
way  toward  the  sound  of  the  unseen  voice. 

There  was  a  sudden  movement  in  the  bushes, 
just  beyond  the  spot  Tom  was  making  for.  He 
halted  quickly  and  peered  ahead.  Mary,  too, 
was  looking  on  anxiously. 

Tom  saw  the  forms  of  two  men,  partially  con- 
cealed by  bushes,  walking  away  from  him.  The 
men  took  no  pains  to  conceal  their  movements, 
so  Tom  was  emboldened  to  advance  with  less  cau- 
tion. He  hurried  to  where  he  could  get  a  good 
view,  and,  at  the  sight  of  one  of  the  men,  he  ut- 
tered an  exclamation. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Mary,  who  was  now  at  his 
side.  She  had  seen  that  Tom  had  thrown  aside 
caution,  and  she  had  come  up  to  join  him. 

"That  man — I  know  him !"  the  young  inventor 
exclaimed.  "It  is  Feldman — the  one  who  wanted 
to  be  changed  from  the  trip-hammer  to  the  air- 
ship department.    But  who  is  that  with  him?" 

As  Tom  spoke  the  other  turned,  and  at  the 
sight  of  his  face  Mary  Nestor  said : 


I06     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

"He  looks  like  a  Frenchman,  with  that  little 
mustache  and  imperial." 

"So  he  is !"  exclaimed  Tom,  in  a  hoarse  whis- 
per. "He  must  be  the  Frenchman  that  Eradicate 
spoke  about.  I  wonder  what  this  can  mean?  I 
didn't  know  Feldman  had  left  the  shop." 

"You  may  know  what  you're  talking  about, 
but  I  don't,  Tom,"  said  Mary,  with  a  smile  at  her 
companion.     "Are  they  friends  of  yours?" 

"Hardly,"  spoke  the  young  inventor  dryly. 
"That  one,  Feldman,  is  one  of  my  workmen.  He 
had  charge  of  a  drop-forge  press  and  trip-ham- 
mer that " 

"Spare  me  the  details,  Tom!"  interrupted 
Mary.  "You  know  I  don't  understand  a  thing 
about  machinery.  The  wireless  you  erected  on 
Earthquake  Island  was  as  much  as  I  could  com- 
prehend." 

"Well,  a  trip-hammer  isn't  as  complicated  as 
that,"  spoke  Tom,  with  a  laugh,  as  he  noticed 
that  the  two  men  were  far  enough  away  so  they 
could  not  hear  him.  "What  I  was  going  to  say 
was,  that  one  of  those  men  works  in  our  shops. 
The  other  I  don't  know,  but  I  agree  with  you  that, 
he  does  look  like  a  Frenchman,  and  old  Eradi- 
cate had  a  meeting  with  a  man  whom  he  described 
as  being  of  that  nationality." 

"And  you  say  they  are  not  friends  of  yours P" 


A  NIGHT  ALARM  I0£ 

"I  have  no  reason  to  believe  they  are." 

'Then  they  must  be  enemies !"  exclaimed  Mary 
with  quick  intuition.  "Oh,  Tom,  you  will  be 
careful,  won't  you?" 

"Of  course  I  will,  little  girl,"  he  said,  a  note 
of  fondness  creeping  into  his  voice,  as  he  covered 
the  small  hand  with  his  own  large  one.  "But 
there  is  no  danger." 

"Then  why  were  these  men  discussing  you?" 

"I  don't  know  that  they  were,  Mary." 

"They  mentioned  your  name." 

"Well,  that  may  be.  Probably  one  of  them, 
Feldman,  who  works  for  me,  was  speaking  to  his 
companion  about  the  chance  for  a  position.  My 
father  and  I  employ  a  number  of  men,  you  know." 

"Well,  I  suppose  it  is  all  right,  Tom,  and  I 
surely  hope  it  is.  But  you  will  be  careful,  won't 
you?  And  you  look  more  worried  than  you 
used  to.    Has  anything  gone  wrong?" 

"Not  a  thing,  little  girl.  Everything  is  going 
fine.  My  new  aerial  warship  will  soon  make  a 
trial  flight,  and  I'd  be  pleased  to  have  you  as  a 
passenger." 

"Would  you  really,  Tom?" 

"Of  course.  Consider  that  you  have  the  first 
invitation." 

"That's  awfully  nice  of  you.  But  you  do  look 
Worried,  Tom.    Has  anything  troubled  you  ?" 


108     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"No,  not  much.  Everything  is  going  all  right 
now.  We  did  have  a  little  trouble  at  a  fire  in  one 
of  my  buildings " 

"A  fire!    Oh,  Tom!    You  never  told  me!" 

"Well,  it  didn't  amount  to  much — the  only 
suspicious  fact  about  it  was  that  it  seemed  to  have 
been  of  incendiary  origin." 

Mary  seemed  much  alarmed,  and  again  begged 
Tom  to  be  on  his  guard,  which  he  promised  to  do. 
Had  Mary  known  the  warnings  uttered  by  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury  she  might  have  had  more  occa- 
sion for  worry. 

"Do  you  suppose  that  hammer  man  of  yours 
came  to  these  woods  to  meet  that  Frenchman 
and  talk  about  you,  Tom?"  asked  his  companion, 
when  the  two  men  had  strolled  out  of  sight,  and 
the  young  people  were  on  their  way  back  to  the 
launch. 

"Well,  it's  possible.  I  have  been  warned  that 
foreign  spies  are  trying  to  get  hold  of  some  of 
my  patents,  and  also  to  hamper  the  government 
in  the  use  of  some  others  I  have  sold.  But  they'll 
have  their  own  troubles  to  get  away  with  any- 
thing. The  works  are  pretty  well  guarded,  and 
you  forget  I  have  the  giant,  Koku,  who  is  almost 
a  personal  bodyguard." 

"Yes,  but  he  can't  be  everywhere  at  once.  Oh, 
you  will  be  careful,  won't  you,  Tom?" 


A  NIGHT  ALARM  109 

"Yes,  Mary,  I  will,"  promised  the  young  in- 
ventor. "But  don't  say  anything  to  Ned  about 
what  we  just  saw  and  heard." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  he's  been  at  me  to  hire  a  couple  of 
detectives  to  watch  over  me,  and  this  would  give 
him  another  excuse.  Just  don't  say  anything,  and 
I'll  adopt  all  the  precautions  I  think  are  need- 
ful." 

"I  will  on  condition  that  you  do  that." 

"And  I  promise  I  will." 

With  that  Mary  had  to  be  content.  A  little 
later  they  joined  Ned  and  his  friend,  and  soon 
they  were  moving  swiftly  down  the  lake  in  the 
launch. 

"Well,  hasn't  it  done  you  good  to  take  a  day 
off?"  Ned  demanded  of  his  chum,  when  they  were 
on  their  homeward  way. 

"Yes,  I  think  it  has,"  agreed  Tom. 

"You  swung  your  thoughts  into  a  new  channel, 
didn't  you?" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  found  something  new  to  think 
about,"  admitted  the  young  inventor,  with  a  quick 
look  at  Mary. 

But,  though  Tom  thus  passed  off  lightly  the  lit- 
tle incident  of  the  day,  he  gave  it  serious  thought 
when  he  was  alone. 

"Those  fellows  were  certainly  talking  about 


110     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIB 

me,"  he  reasoned.  "I  wonder  what  for?  And 
Feldman  left  the  shop  without  my  knowledge. 
I'll  have  to  look  into  that.  I  wonder  if  that 
Frenchy  looking  chap  I  saw  was  the  one  who 
tried  to  pump  Eradicate?  Another  point  to  set- 
tle." 

The  last  was  easily  disposed  of,  for,  on  reach- 
ing his  shops  that  afternoon,  Tom  cross-ques- 
tioned the  colored  man,  and  obtained  a  most  accu- 
rate description  of  the  odd  foreigner.  It  tallied 
in  every  detail  with  the  man  Tom  had  seen  in  the 
woods. 

"And  now  about  Feldman,"  mused  Tom,  as  he 
went  to  the  foreman  of  the  shop  where  the  sus* 
pected  man  had  beer  employed. 

"Yes,  Feldman  asked  for  a  day  off,"  the  fore- 
man said  in  response  to  Tom's  question.  "He 
claimed  his  mother  was  sick,  and  he  wanted  to 
go  to  see  her.  I  knew  you  wouldn't  object,  as  we 
were  not  rushed  in  his  department." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,"  said  Tom  quickly.  "Did 
he  say  where  his  mother  lived  ?" 

"Over  Lafayette  way." 

"Humph!"  murmured  Tom.  To  himself  he 
added :  "Queer  that  he  should  be  near  Lake  Lo- 
raine,  •  in  an  opposite  direction  from  Lafayette. 
This  will  bear  an  investigation." 

The  next  day  Tom  made  it  his  business  to  pa#* 


A  NIGHT  ALARM  m 

near  the  hammer  that  was  so  frequently  out  of 
©rder.  He  found  Feldman  busy  instructing 
Koku  in  its  operation.  Tom  resolved  on  a  little 
Strategy. 

"How  is  it  working,  Feldman  ?"  he  asked. 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Swift.  There  doesn't  seem  to 
be  any  trouble  at  all,  but  it  may  happen  any  min- 
ute. Koku  seems  to  take  to  it  like  a  duck  to 
water." 

"Well,  when  he  is  ready  to  assume  charge  let 
me  know." 

"And  then  am  I  to  go  into  the  aeroplane  shop?" 

"I'll  see.  By  the  way,  how  is  your  mother?'* 
he  asked  quickly,  looking  Feldman  full  in  the 
face. 

"She  is  much  better.  I  took  a  day  off  yester- 
day to  go  to  see  her,"  the  man  replied  quietly 
enough,  and  without  sign  of  embarrassment. 

"That's  good.  Let  me  see,  she  lives  over  near 
Lake  Loraine,  doesn't  she  ?" 

This  time  Feldman  could  not  repress  a  start. 
But  he  covered  it  admirably  by  stooping  over 
to  pick  up  a  tool  that  fell  to  the  floor. 

"No,  my  mother  is  in  Lafayette,"  he  said.  "I 
don't  know  where  Lake  Loraine  is." 

"Oh,"  said  Tom,  as  he  turned  aside  to  hide  a 
smile.  He  was  sure  now  he  knew  at  least  one  o£ 
the  plotters. 


112     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

But  Tom  was  not  yet  ready  to  show  his  hand. 
He  wanted  better  evidence  than  any  he  yet  pos- 
sessed.    It  would  take  a  little  more  time. 

Work  on  the  aerial  warship  was  rushed,  and  it 
seemed  likely  that  a  trial  flight  could  be  made 
before  the  date  set.  Lieutenant  Marbury  sent 
word  that  he  would  be  on  hand  when  needed,  and 
in  some  of  the  shops,  where  fittings  for  the  Mars 
were  being  made,  night  and  day  shifts  were  work- 
ing. 

"Well,  if  everything  goes  well,  we'll  take  her 
for  a  trial  flight  to-morrow,"  said  Tom,  coming 
in  from  the  shops  one  evening. 

"Guns  and  all?"  asked  Ned,  who  had  come 
over  to  pay  his  chum  a  visit.  Mr.  Damon  was 
also  on  hand,  invoking  occasional  blessings. 

"Guns  and  all,"  replied  Tom. 

Ned  had  a  little  vacation  from  the  bank,  and 
was  to  stay  all  night,  as  was  Mr.  Damon. 

What  time  it  was,  save  that  it  must  be  near 
midnight,  Tom  could  not  tell,  but  he  was  sud- 
denly awakened  by  hearing  yells  from  Eradicate : 

"Massa  Tom!  Massa  Tom!"  yelled  the  ex- 
cited colored  man.  "Git  up!  Git  up!  Suffin' 
turrible  am  happenin'  in  de  balloon  shop.  Hurry ! 
An'  yo'  stan'  still,  Boomerang,  or  I'll  twist  yo* 
tail,  dat's  what  I  will!    Hurry,  Massa  Tom!" 

Tom  leaped  out  of  bed. 


CHAPTER   XIII 


THE    CAPTURE 


Tom  Swift  was  something  like  a  fireman.  He 
had  lived  so  long  in  an  atmosphere  of  constant 
alarms  and  danger,  that  he  was  always  ready  for 
almost  any  emergency.  His  room  was  equipped 
with  the  end  in  view  that  he  could  act  promptly 
and  effectively. 

So,  when  he  heard  Eradicate's  alarm,  though 
he  wondered  what  the  old  colored  man  was  do- 
ing out  of  bed  at  that  hour,  Tom  did  not  stop 
to  reason  out  that  puzzle.     He  acted  quickly. 

His  first  care  was  to  throw  on  the  main  switch, 
connected  with  a  big  storage  battery,  and  to  which 
were  attached  the  wires  of  the  lighting  system. 
This  at  once  illuminated  every  shop  in  the  plant, 
and  also  the  grounds  themselves.  Tom  wanted 
to  see  what  was  going  on.  The  use  of  a  storage 
battery  eliminated  the  running  of  the  dynamo  all 
night. 

And  once  he  had  done  this,  Tom  began  pulling 
on  some  clothes  and  a  pair  of  shoes.    At  the  same 

"3 


114     T0M  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

time  he  reached  out  with  one  hand  and  pressed 
a  button  that  sounded  an  alarm  in  the  sleeping 
quarters  of  Koku,  the  giant,  and  in  the  rooms  of 
some  of  the  older  and  most  trusted  men. 

All  this  while  Eradicate  was  shouting  away, 
down  in  the  yard. 

"MassaTom!  Massa  Tom !"  he  called.  "Hur- 
ry !    Hurry !    Dey  is  killin'  Koku  1" 

"Killing  Koku !"  exclaimed  Tom,  as  he  finished 
his  hasty  dressing.  "Then  my  giant  must  already 
be  in  the  fracas.  I  wonder  what  it's  all  about, 
anyhow." 

"What's  up,  Tom?"  came  Ned's  voice  from 
the  adjoining  room.    "I  thought  I  heard  a  noise." 

"Your  thoughts  do  you  credit,  Ned!"  Tom 
answered.  "If  you  listen  right  close,  you'll  hear 
several  noises." 

"By  Jove !    You're  right,  old  man !" 

Tom  could  hear  his  chum  bound  out  of  bed 
to  the  floor,  and,  at  the  same  time,  from  the  big 
shed  where  Tom  was  building  his  aerial  warship 
came  a  series  of  yells  and  shouts. 

"That's  Koku's  voice !"  Tom  exclaimed,  as  he 
recognized  the  tones  of  the  giant. 

"I'm  coming,  Tom!"  Ned  informed  his  chum. 
"Wait  a  minute." 

"No  time  to  wait,"  Tom  replied,  buttoning  his 
coat  as  he  sped  down  the  hall. 


THE  CAPTURE  115 

"Oh,  Tom,  what  is  it?"  asked  Mrs.  Baggert, 
the  housekeeper,  looking  from  her  room. 

"I  don't  know.  But  don't  let  dad  get  excited, 
no  matter  what  happens.  Just  put  him  off  until 
I  come  back.    I  think  it  isn't  anything  serious." 

Mr.  Damon,  who  roomed  next  to  Ned,  came 
out  of  his  own  apartment  partially  dressed. 

"Bless  my  suspenders!"  he  cried  to  Tom,  those 
articles  just  then  dangling  over  his  hips.  "What 
is  it?  What  has  happened?  Bless  my  steam 
gauge,  don't  tell  me  it's  a  fire !" 

"I  think  it  isn't  that,"  Tom  answered.  "No 
alarm  has  rung.    Koku  seems  to  be  in  trouble." 

"Well,  he's  big  enough  to  look  after  himself, 
that's  one  consolation,"  chuckled  Mr.  Damon. 
"I'll  be  right  with  you." 

By  this  time  Ned  had  run  out  into  the  hall,  and, 
together,  he  and  Tom  sped  down  the  corridor. 
They  could  not  hear  the  shouts  of  Eradicate  so 
plainly  now,  as  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the 
house. 

But  when  the  two  young  men  reached  the 
front  porch,  they  could  hear  the  yells  given  with 
redoubled  vigor.  And,  in  the  glare  of  the  elec- 
tric lights,  Tom  saw  Eradicate  leading  along 
Boomerang,  the  old  mule. 

"What  is  it,  Rad?  What  is  it?"  demanded  the 
young  inventor  breathlessly. 


Il6     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"Trouble,  Massa  Tom!  Dat's  what  it  ami 
Trouble!" 

"I  know  that— but  what  kind?" 

"De  worstest  kind,  I  'spects,  Massa  Tom.  Lis- 
ten to  it!" 

From  the  interior  of  the  big  shed,  not  far  from 
the  house,  Tom  and  Ned  heard  a  confused  jumble 
of  shouts,  cries  and  pleadings,  mingled  with  the 
rattle  of  pieces  of  metal,  and  the  banging  of  bits 
of  wood.  And,  above  all  that,  like  the  bellowing 
of  a  bull,  was  noted  the  rumbling  voice  of 
Koku,  the  giant. 

"Come  on,  Ned !"  Tom  cried. 

"It's  suah  trouble,  all  right,"  went  on  Eradicate. 
"Mah  mule,  Boomerang,  had  a  touch  ob  de  colic, 
an'  I  got  up  t'  gib  him  some  hot  drops  an'  walk 
him  around,  when  I  heard  de  mostest  terrific 
racket-sound,  and  den  I  'spected  trouble  was 
comin'." 

"It  isn't  coming — it's  here!"  called  Tom,  as  he 
sped  toward  the  big  shop.  Ned  was  but  a  step 
behind  him.  The  big  workshop  where  the  aerial 
warship  was  being  built  was,  like  the  other  build- 
ings, brilliantly  illuminated  by  the  lights  Tom  had 
switched  on.  The  young  inventor  also  saw  sev- 
eral of  his  employees  speeding  toward  the  same 
point. 

Tom  was  the  first  to  reach  the  small  door  of  the 


THE  CAPTURE  117 

shed.  This  was  built  in  one  of  the  two  large  main 
doors,  which  could  be  swung  open  when  it  was 
desired  to  slide  the  Mars  in  from  the  ground,  and 
not  admit  it  through  the  roof. 

"Look!"  cried  Tom,  pointing. 

Ned  looked  over  his  chum's  shoulder  and  saw 
the  giant,  Koku,  struggling  with  four  men — pow- 
erful men  they  were,  too,  and  they  seemed  bent 
on  mischief. 

For  they  came  at  Koku  from  four  sides,  seek- 
ing to  hold  his  hands  and  feet  so  that  he  could 
not  fight  them  back.  On  the  floor  near  where 
the  struggle  was  taking  place  was  a  coil  of  rope, 
and  it  was  evident  that  it  had  been  the  intention 
of  the  men  to  overcome  Koku  and  truss  him  up, 
so  that  he  would  not  interfere  with  what  they 
intended  to  do.  But  Koku  was  a  match  for  even 
the  four  men,  powerful  as  they  were. 

"We're  here,  Koku!"  cried  Tom.  "Watch  for 
an  opening,  Ned!"  he  called  to  his  chum. 

The  sound  of  Tom's  voice  disconcerted  at  least 
two  of  the  attackers,  for  they  looked  around 
quickly,  and  this  was  fatal  to  their  chances. 

Though  such  a  big  man,  Koku  was  exception- 
ally quick,  and  no  sooner  did  he  see  his  advan- 
tage, as  two  of  the  men  turned  their  gaze  away 
from  him,  than  he  seized  it. 

Suddenly  tearing  loose  his  hands  from  the  grip 


"ll8     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

of  the  two  men  who  had  looked  around,  Koku 
shot  out  his  right  and  left  fists,  and  secured  good 
hold  on  the  necks  of  two  of  his  enemies.  The 
other  two,  at  his  back,  were  endeavoring  to  pull 
him  over,  but  the  giant's  sturdy  legs  still  held. 

So  big  was  Koku's  hands  that  they  almost  en- 
circled the  necks  of  his  antagonists.  Then  hap- 
pened a  curious  thing. 

With  a  shout  that  might  have  done  credit  to 
some  ancient  cave-dweller  of  the  stone  age,  Koku 
spread  out  his  mighty  arms,  and  held  apart  the 
two  men  he  had  grasped.  In  vain  they  struggled 
to  free  themselves  from  that  terrible  grip.  Their 
faces  turned  purple,  and  their  eyes  bulged  out. 

"He's  choking  them  to  death!"  shouted  Ned. 

But  Koku  was  not  needlessly  cruel. 

A  moment  later,  with  a  quick  and  sudden  mo- 
tion he  bent  his  arms,  bringing  toward  each  other 
the  two  men  he  held  as  captives.  Their 
heads  came  together  with  a  dull  thud,  and  a  sec- 
ond later  Koku  allowed  two  limp  bodies  to  slip 
from  his  grip  to  the  floor. 

"He's  done  for  them !"  Tom  cried.  "Knocked 
them  unconscious.    Good  for  you,  Koku!" 

The  giant  grunted,  and  then,  with  a  quick  mo- 
tion, slung  himself  around,  hoping  to  bring  the 
enemies  at  his  back  within  reach  of  his  powerful 
arms.    But  there  was  no  need  of  this. 


THE  CAPTURE  119 

As  soon  as  the  other  two  ruffians  had  seen  their 
companions  fall  to  the  floor  of  the  shop  they 
turned  and  fled,  leaping-  from  an  open  window. 

"There  they  go !"  cried  Ned. 

"Some  of  the  other  men  can  chase  them,"  said 
the  young  inventor.  "We'll  tie  up  the  two  Koku 
has  captured." 

As  he  approached  nearer  to  the  unconscious 
captives  Tom  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise,  for  he 
recognized  them  as  two  of  the  new  men  he  had 
employed. 

"What  can  this  mean  ?"  he  asked  wonderingly. 

He  glanced  toward  the  window  through  which 
the  two  men  had  jumped  to  escape,  and  he  was 
just  in  time  to  see  one  of  them  run  past  the  open 
door.  The  face  of  this  one  was  under  a  powerful 
electric  light,  and  Tom  at  once  recognized  the 
man  as  Feldman,  the  worker  who  had  had  so 
much  trouble  with  the  trip-hammer. 

"This  sure  is  a  puzzle,"  marveled  Tom.  "My 
own  men  in  the  plot!  But  why  did  they  attack 
Koku?" 

The  giant,  bending  over  the  men  he  had 
knocked  unconscious  by  beating  their  heads  to- 
gether, seemed  little  worse  for  the  attack. 

"We  tie  'em  up,"  he  said  grimly,  as  he  brought 
over  the  rope  that  had  been  intended  for  him- 
self. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE    FIRST    FLIGHT 


Little  time  was  lost  in  securing  the  two  men 
who  had  been  so  effectively  rendered  helpless  by 
Koku's  ready,  if  rough,  measures.  One  of  them 
was  showing  signs  of  returning  consciousness 
now,  and  Tom,  not  willing  to  inflict  needless  pain, 
even  on  an  enemy,  told  one  of  his  men,  summoned 
by  the  alarm,  to  bring  water.  Soon  the  two  men 
opened  their  eyes,  and  looked  about  them  in  dazed 
fashion. 

"Did — did  anything  hit  me?"  asked  one 
meekly. 

"It  must  have  been  a  thunderbolt,"  spoke  the 
other  dreamily.    "But  it  didn't  look  like  a  storm." 

"Oh,  dere  was  a  storm,  all  right,"  chuckled 
Eradicate,  who,  having  left  his  mule,  Boomerang, 
outside,  came  into  the  shed.  "It  was  a  giant- 
storm  all  right." 

The  men  put  their  hands  to  their  heads,  and 
seemed  to  comprehend.  They  looked  at  the  rope 
that  bound  their  feet.  Their  forearms  had  been 
loosened  to  allow  them  to  take  a  drink  of  water. 

120 


THE  FIRST  FLIGHT  121 

"What  does  this  mean — Ransom — Kurdy?" 
asked  Tom  sternly,  when  the  men  seemed  able 
to  talk.     "Did  you  attack  Koku?" 

"It  looks  as  though  he  had  the  best  of  us, 
whether  we  did  or  not,"  said  the  man  Tom  knew 
as  Kurdy.     "Whew,  how  my  head  aches!" 

"Me  sorry,"  said  Koku  simply. 

"Not  half  as  sorry  as  we  are,"  returned  Ran- 
som ruefully. 

"What  does  it  mean?"  asked  Tom  sternly. 
"There  were  four  of  you.  Feldman  and  one 
other  got  away." 

"Oh,  trust  Feldman  for  getting  away,"  sneered 
Kurdy.  "He  always  leaves  his  friends  in  the 
lurch." 

"Was  this  a  conspiracy?"  demanded  Tom. 

The  two  captives  looked  at  one  another,  sitting 
bound  on  the  floor  of  the  shop,  their  backs  against 
some  boxes. 

"I  guess  it's  all  up,  and  we  might  as  well  make 
a  clean  breast  of  it,"  admitted  Kurdy. 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  better,"  said  Tom 
quietly.  "Eradicate,"  he  went  on,  to  the  colored 
man,  "go  to  the  house  and  tell  Mrs.  Baggert  that 
everything  is  all  right  and  no  one  hurt." 

"No  one  hurt,  Massa  Tom?  What  about  dem 
dere  fellers?"  and  the  colored  man  pointed  to  the 
captives. 


122     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

"Well,  they're  not  hurt  much,"  and  Tom  per- 
mitted himself  a  little  smile.  "I  don't  want  my 
father  to  worry.   Tell  him  everything  is  all  right." 

"All  right,  Massa  Tom.  I'se  gwine  right  off. 
I'se  got  t'  look  after  mah  mule,  Boomerang,  too. 
I'se  gwine,"  and  he  shuffled  away. 

"Who  else  besides  Feldman  got  away?"  asked 
Tom,  looking  alternately  at  the  prisoners. 

They  hesitated  a  moment  about  answering. 

"We  might  as  well  give  up,  I  tell  you,"  spoke 
Kurdy  to  Ransom. 

"All  right,  go  ahead,  we'll  have  to  take  our 
medicine.  I  might  have  known  it  would  turn  out 
this  way — going  in  for  this  sort  of  thing.  It's 
the  first  bit  of  crooked  business  I  ever  tried,"  the 
man  said  earnestly,  "and  it  will  be  the  last — be- 
lieve me!" 

"Who  was  the  fourth  man?"  Tom  repeated. 

"Harrison,"  answered  Kurdy,  naming  one  of 
the  most  efficient  of  the  new  machinists  Tom  had 
hired  during  the  rush. 

"Harrison,  who  has  been  working  on  the  mo- 
tor?" cried  the  young  inventor. 

"Yes,"  said  Ransom. 

"I'm  sorry  to  learn  that,"  Tom  went  on  in  a  low 
yoice.  "He  was  an  expert  in  his  line.  But  what 
was  your  object,  anyhow,  in  attacking  Koku?" 

"We  didn't  intend  to  attack  him,"  explained 


THE  FIRST  FLIGHT  12$ 

Ransom,  "but  he  came  in  when  we  were  at  work, 
and  as  he  went  for  us  we  tried  to  stand  him  off. 
Then  your  colored  man  heard  the  racket,  and — 
well,  I  guess  you  know  the  rest." 

"But  I  don't  understand  why  you  came  into 
this  shed  at  night,"  went  on  Tom.  "No  one  is 
allowed  in  here.  You  had  no  right,  and  Koku 
inew  that.    What  did  you  want  ?" 

"Look  here!"  exclaimed  Kurdy,  "I  said  we'd 
make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  and  we  will.  We're 
only  a  couple  of  tools,  and  we  were  foolish  ever 
to  go  in  with  those  fellows;  or  rather,  in  with 
that  Frenchman,  who  promised  us  big  money  if 
We  succeeded." 

"Succeeded  in  what  ?"  demanded  the  young  in- 
ventor. 

"In  damaging  your  new  aerial  warship,  or  in 
getting  certain  parts  of  it  so  he  could  take  them 
away  with  him." 

Tom  gave  a  surprised  whistle. 

"A  Frenchman !"  he  exclaimed.    "Is  he  one  of 

the " 

"Yes,  he's  one  of  the  foreign  spies,"  inter- 
rupted Ransom.  "You'd  find  it  out,  anyhow,  if 
we  didn't  tell  you.  They  are  after  you,  Tom 
Swift,  and  after  your  machines.  They  had 
Vowed  to  get  them  by  fair  means  or  foul,  for  some 
Of  the  European  governments  are  desperate. 


I24     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"But  we  were  only  tools  in  their  hands.  So 
were  Feldman  and  Harrison,  but  they  knew  more 
about  the  details.    We  were  only  helping  them." 

"Then  we  must  try  to  capture  them,"  decided 
Tom.  "Ned,  see  if  the  chase  had  any  results. 
I'll  look  after  these  chaps — Koku  and  I." 

"Oh,  we  give  in,"  admitted  Kurdy.  "We  know 
when  we've  had  enough,"  and  he  rubbed  his  head 
gently  where  the  giant  had  banged  it  against  that 
of  his  fellow-conspirator. 

"Do  you  mean  that  you  four  came  into  this 
shop,  at  midnight,  to  damage  the  Mars?"  asked 
Tom. 

"That's  about  it,  Mr.  Swift,"  replied  Kurdy 
rather  shamefacedly.  "We  were  to  damage  it  be- 
yond repair,  set  fire  to  the  whole  place,  if  need  be, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  take  away  certain  vital  parts. 

"Harrison,  Feldman,  Ransom  and  I  came  in, 
thinking  the  coast  was  clear.  But  Koku  must 
have  seen  us  enter,  or  he  suspected  we  were  here, 
for  he  came  in  after  us,  and  the  fight  began.  We 
couldn't  stop  him,  and  he  did  for  us.  I'm  rather 
glad  of  it,  too,  for  I  never  liked  the  work.  It 
was  only  that  they  tempted  me  with  a  promise 
of  big  money." 

"Who  tempted  you?"  demanded  Tom. 
"That  Frenchman— La  Foy,  he  calls  himself,, 
and  some  other  foreigners  in  your  shops." 


THE  FIRST  FLIGHT  125 

"Are  there  foreigners  here?"  cried  Tom. 

"Bless  my  chest  protector !"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
;who  had  come  in  and  had  been  a  silent  listener  to 
this.    "Can  it  be  possible?" 

"That's  the  case,"  went  on  Kurdy.  "A  lot  of 
the  new  men  you  took  on  are  foreign  spies  from 
different  European  nations.  They  are  trying  to 
learn  all  they  can  about  your  plans,  Mr.  Swift!" 

"Are  they  friendly  among  themselves?"  asked 
Tom. 

"No;  each  one  is  trying  to  get  ahead  of  the 
other.  So  far  the  Frenchman  seems  to  have  had 
the  best  of  it.    But  to-night  his  plan  failed." 

"Tell  me  more  about  it,"  urged  Tom. 

"That's  about  all  we  know,"  spoke  Ransom. 
v<We  were  only  hired  to  do  the  rough  work. 
Those  higher  up  didn't  appear.  Feldman  was 
only  a  step  above  us." 

"Then  my  suspicions  of  him  were  justified," 
thought  Tom.  "He  evidently  met  La  Foy  in  the 
woods  to  make  plans.  But  Koku  and  Eradicate 
spoiled  them." 

The  two  captives  seemed  willing  enough  to 
make  a  confession,  but  they  did  not  know  much. 
As  they  said,  they  were  merely  tools,  acting  for 
others.  And  events  had  happened  just  as  they 
had  said. 

The  four  conspirators  had  managed,  by  means 


126     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

of  a  false  key,  and  by  disconnecting  the  burglar 
alarm,  to  enter  the  airship  shed.  They  were 
about  to  proceed  with  their  work  of  destruc- 
tion when  Koku  came  on  the  scene. 

The  giant's  appearance  was  due  to  accident. 
He  acted  as  a  sort  of  night  watchman,  making  a 
tour  of  the  buildings,  but  he  entered  the  shed 
where  the  Mars  was  because,  that  day,  he  had 
left  his  knife  in  there,  and  wanted  to  get  it.  Only 
for  that  he  would  not  have  gone  in.  When  he 
entered  he  surprised  the  four  men. 

Of  course  he  attacked  them  at  once,  and  they 
sprang  at  him.  Then  ensued  a  terrific  fight. 
Eradicate,  arising  to  doctor  his  mule,  as  he  had 
oaid,  heard  the  noise,  and  saw  what  was  going 
on.    He  gave  the  alarm. 

"Well,  Ned,  any  luck?"  asked  Tom,  as  his 
chum  came  in. 

"No,  they  got  away,  Tom.  I  had  a  lot  of  your 
men  out  helping  me  search  the  grounds,  but  it 
wasn't  of  much  use." 

"Particularly  if  you  depended  on  some  of  my 
men,"  said  Tom  bitterly. 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I  mean  that  the  place  is  filled  with  spies,  Ned ! 
But  we  will  sift  them  out  in  the  morning.  This 
has  been  a  lucky  night  for  me.  It  was  touch 
and  go.     Now,  then,  Koku,  take  these  fellows 


THE  FIRST  FLIGHT  127 

and  lock  them  up  somewhere  until  morning.  Ned, 
you  and  I  will  remain  on  guard  here  the  rest  of 
the  night." 

"I'm  with  you,  Tom." 

"Will  you  be  a  bit  easy  on  us,  considering  what 
we  told  you  ?"  asked  Kurdy. 

"I'll  do  the  best  I  can,"  said  Tom,  gently,  mak- 
ing no  promises. 

The  two  captives  were  put  in  secure  quarters, 
and  the  rest  of  the  night  passed  quietly.  During 
the  fight  in  the  airship  shed  some  machinery  and 
tools  had  been  broken,  but  no  great  amount  of 
damage  was  done.  Tom  and  Ned  passed  the  re- 
maining hours  of  darkness  there. 

A  further  search  was  made  in  the  morning  for 
the  two  conspirators  who  had  escaped,  but  no 
trace  of  them  was  found.  Tom  then  realized  why 
Feldman  was  so  anxious  to  be  placed  in  the  aero- 
plane department — it  was  in  order  that  he  might 
have  easier  access  to  the  Mars. 

A  technical  charge  was  made  against  the  two 
prisoners,  sufficient  to  hold  them  for  some  time. 
Then  Tom  devoted  a  day  to  weeding  out  the 
suspected  foreigners  in  his  place.  All  the  new 
men  were  discharged,  though  some  protested 
against  this  action. 

"Probably  I  am  hitting  some  of  the  innocent 
in  punishing  those  who,  if  they  had  the  chance, 


128    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP- 

would  become  guilty,"  Tom  said  to  his  chum,  "but 
it  cannot  be  helped — I  can't  afford  to  take  any 
chances." 

The  Mars  was  being  put  in  shape  for  her 
first  flight.  The  guns,  fitted  with  the  recoil  shock 
absorbers,  were  mounted,  and  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury  had  returned  to  go  aloft  in  the  big  aerial 
warship.  He  congratulated  Tom  on  discovering 
at  least  one  plot  in  time. 

"But  there  may  be  more,"  he  warned  the  young 
inventor.    "You  are  not  done  with  them  yet." 

The  Mars  was  floated  out  of  her  hangar,  and 
made  ready  for  an  ascent.  Tom,  Ned,  Lieutenant 
Marbury,  Mr.  Damon,  and  several  workmen  were 
to  be  the  first  passengers.  Tom  was  busy  going 
over  the  various  parts  to  see  that  nothing  had 
been  forgotten. 

"Well,  I  guess  we're  ready,"  he  finally  an- 
nounced.   "All  aboard!" 

"Bless  my  insurance  policy!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Damon.  "Now  that  the  time  comes  I  almost  wish 
£  wasn't  going." 

"Nonsense!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "You're  not 
going  to  back  out  at  the  last  minute.  All  aboard ! 
Cast  off  the  ropes !"  he  cried  to  the  assistants. 

A  moment  later  the  Mars,  the  biggest  airship 
Tom  Swift  had  ever  constructed,  arose  from  the 
earth  like  some  great  bird,  and  soared  aloft. 


CHAPTER  XV 


IN   DANGER 


"Well,  Tom,  we're  moving !"  cried  Ned  New. 
ton,  clapping  his  chum  on  the  back,  as  he  stood 
near  him  in  the  pilot-house.  "We're  going  up, 
old  sport!" 

"Of  course  we  are,"  replied  Tom.  "You 
didn't  think  it  wouldn't  go  up,  did  you?" 

"Well,  I  wasn't  quite  sure,"  Ned  confessed. 
"You  know  you  were  so  worried  about " 

"Not  about  the  ship  sailing,"  interrupted  Tom. 
"It  was  only  the  effect  the  firing  of  the  guns  might, 
have.     But  I  think  we  have  that  taken  care  of." 

"Bless  my  pin  cushion!"  cried  Mr.  Damon,  as 
he  looked  over  the  rail  at  the  earth  below.  "We're 
moving  fast,  Tom." 

"Yes,  we  can  make  a  quicker  ascent  in  this 
than  in  most  aeroplanes,"  Tom  said,  "for  they 
have  to  go  up  in  a  slanting  direction.  But  we 
can't  quite  equal  their  lateral  speed." 

"Just  how  fast  do  you  think  you  can  travel 
when  you  are  in  first-class  shape?"  asked  Lieu- 

129 


130     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

tenant  Marbury,  as  he  noted  how  the  Mars  was 
behaving  on  this,  the  first  trip. 

"Well,  I  set  a  limit  of  seventy-five  miles  an 
hour,"  the  young  inventor  replied,  as  he  shifted 
various  levers  and  handles,  to  change  the  speed 
of  the  mechanism.  "But  I'm  afraid  we  won't 
quite  equal  that  with  all  our  guns  on  board.  But 
I'm  safe  in  saying  sixty,  I  think." 

"That  will  more  than  satisfy  the  government 
requirements,"  the  officer  said.  "But,  of  course, 
your  craft  will  have  to  come  up  to  expectations 
and  requirements  in  the  matter  of  armament." 

"I'll  give  you  every  test  you  want,"  declared 
Tom,  with  a  smile.  "And  now  we'll  see  what  the 
Mars  can  do  when  put  to  it." 

Up  and  up  went  the  big  dirigible  aerial  war- 
ship. Had  you  been  fortunate  enough  to  have 
seen  her  you  would  have  observed  a  craft  not 
unlike,  in  shape,  the  German  Zeppelins.  But  it 
differed  from  those  war  balloons  in  several  im- 
portant particulars. 

Tom's  craft  was  about  six  hundred  feet  long, 
and  the  diameter  of  the  gas  bag,  amidships,  was 
sixty  feet,  slightly  larger  than  the  largest  Zeppe- 
lin. Below  the  bag,  which,  as  I  have  explained, 
was  made  up  of  a  number  of  gas-tight  compart- 
ments, hung  from  wire  cables  three  cabins.  The 
forward  one  was  a  sort  of  pilot-house,  containing 


IN  DANGER  131 

various  instruments  for  navigating  the  ship  of 
the  air,  observation  rooms,  gauges  for  calculating 
firing  ranges,  and  the  steering  apparatus. 

Amidships,  suspended  below  the  great  bag, 
were  the  living  and  sleeping  quarters,  where  food 
was  cooked  and  served  and  where  those  who  op- 
erated the  craft  could  spend  their  leisure  time. 
Extra  supplies  were  also  stored  there. 

At  the  stern  of  the  big  bag  was  the  motor- 
room,  where  gas  was  generated  to  fill  the  balloon 
compartments  when  necessary,  where  the  gasoline 
and  electrical  apparatus  were  installed,  and  where 
the  real  motive  power  of  the  craft  was  located. 
Here,  also,  was  carried  the  large  quantity  of 
gasoline  and  oil  needed  for  a  long  voyage.  The 
Mars  could  carry  sufficient  fuel  to  last  for  over 
a  week,  provided  no  accidents  occurred. 

There  was  also  an  arrangement  in  the  motor 
compartment,  so  that  the  ship  could  be  steered 
and  operated  from  there.  This  was  in  case  the 
forward  pilot-house  should  be  shot  away  by  an 
enemy.  And,  also,  in  the  motor  compartment 
were  the  sleeping  quarters  for  the  crew. 

All  three  suspended  cabins  were  connected  by 
a  long  covered  runway,  so  that  one  could  pass 
from  the  pilot-house  to  the  motor-room  and  back 
again  through  the  amidship  cabin 

At  the  extreme  end  of  the  big  bag  were  the 


132     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

various  rudders  and  planes,  designed  to  keep  the 
craft  on  a  level  keel,  automatically,  and  to  enable 
it  to  make  headway  against  a  strong  wind.  The 
motive  power  consisted  of  three  double-bladed 
wooden  propellers,  which  could  be  operated  to- 
gether or  independently.  A  powerful  gasoline 
engine  was  the  chief  motive  power,  though  there 
was  an  auxiliary  storage  battery,  which  would 
operate  an  electrical  motor  and  send  the  ship 
along  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours  in  case  of 
accident  to  the  gasoline  engine. 

There  were  many  other  pieces  of  apparatus 
aboard,  some  not  completely  installed,  the  uses 
of  which  I  shall  mention  from  time  to  time,  as 
the  story  progresses.  The  gas-generating  ma- 
chine was  of  importance,  for  there  would  be  a 
leakage  and  shrinking  of  the  vapor  from  the  big 
bag,  and  some  means  must  be  provided  for  re- 
plenishing it. 

"You  don't  seem  to  have  forgotten  anything, 
Tom,"  said  Ned  admiringly,  as  they  soared  up- 
ward. 

"We  can  tell  better  after  we've  flown  about  a 
bit,"  observed  the  young  inventor,  with  a  smile. 
"I  expect  we  shall  have  to  make  quite  a  number 
of  changes." 

"Are  you  going  far?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 

"Why,  you're  not  frightened,  are  you?"  in- 


IN  DANGER  133 

quired  Tom.  "You  have  been  up  in  airships  with 
me  before." 

"Oh,  no,  I'm  not  frightened!"  exclaimed  the 
odd  man.  "Bless  my  suspenders,  no!  But  I 
promised  my  wife  I'd  be  back  this  evening, 
and " 

"We'll  sail  over  toward  Waterford,"  broke  in 
torn,  "and  I'll  drop  you  down  in  your  front 
yard." 

"No,  don't  do  that!  Don't!  I  beg  of  you!" 
cried  Mr.  Damon.  "You  see — er — Tom,  my  wife 
doesn't  like  me  to  make  these  trips.  Of  course,  I 
understand  there  is  no  danger,  and  I  like  them. 
But  it's  just  as  well  not  to  make  her  worry — you 
understand !" 

"Oh,  all  right,"  replied  Tom,  with  a  laugh. 
"Well,  we're  not  going  far  on  this  trip.  What 
I  want  to  do,  most  of  all,  is  to  test  the  guns,  and 
see  if  the  recoil  check  will  work  as  well  when  we 
are  aloft  as  it  did  down  on  the  ground.  You 
know  a  balloon  isn't  a  very  stable  base  for  a  gun, 
even  one  of  light  caliber." 

"No,  it  certainly  is  not,"  agreed  Lieutenant 
Marbury,  "and  I  am  interested  in  seeing  how  you 
will  overcome  the  recoil." 

"We'll  have  a  test  soon,"  announced  Tom. 

Meanwhile  the  Mars,  having  reached  a  con- 
siderable height,  being  up  so  far,  in  fact,  that  the 


134    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

village  of  Shopton  could  scarcely  be  distinguished, 
Tom  set  the  signal  that  told  the  engine-room 
force  to  start  the  propellers.  This  would  send 
them  ahead. 

Some  of  Tom's  most  trusted  workmen  formed 
the  operating  crew,  the  young  inventor  taking 
charge  of  the  pilot-house  himself. 

"Well  she  seems  to  run  all  right,"  observed 
Lieutenant  Marbury,  as  the  big  craft  surged 
ahead  just  below  a  stratum  of  white,  fleecy 
clouds. 

"Yes,  but  not  as  fast  as  I'd  like  to  see  her  go,'* 
Tom  replied.  "Of  course  the  machinery  is  new, 
and  it  will  take  some  little  time  for  it  to  wear 
down  smooth.    I'll  speed  her  up  a  little  now." 

They  had  been  running  for  perhaps  ten  minutes 
when  Tom  shoved  over  the  hand  of  an  indicator 
that  communicated  with  the  engine-room  from 
the  pilot-house.  At  once  the  Mars  increased  her 
speed. 

"She  can  do  it !"  cried  Ned. 

"Bless  my — hat!  I  should  say  so!"  cried  Mr. 
Damon,  for  he  was  standing  outside  the  pilot- 
house just  then,  on  the  "bridge,"  and  the  sudden 
increase  of  speed  lifted  his  hat  from  his  head. 

"There  you  are — caught  on  the  fly !"  cried  Ned, 
as  he  put  up  his  hand  just  in  time  to  catch  the 
article  in  question. 


IN  DANGER  135 

"Thanks!  Guess  I'd  better  tie  it  fast,"  re- 
marked the  odd  man,  putting  his  hat  on  tightly. 

The  aerial  warship  was  put  through  several 
evolutions  to  test  her  stability,  and  to  each  one 
she  responded  well,  earning  the  praise  of  the 
government  officer.  Up  and  down,  to  one  side 
and  the  other,  around  in  big  circles,  and  even  re- 
versing, Tom  sent  his  craft  with  a  true  hand  and 
eye.  In  a  speed  test  fifty-five  miles  was  registered 
against  a  slight  wind,  and  the  young  inventor 
said  he  knew  he  could  do  better  than  that  as 
soon  as  some  of  the  machinery  was  running  more 
smoothly. 

"And  now  suppose  we  get  ready  for  the  gun 
tests,"  suggested  Tom,  when  they  had  been  run- 
ning for  about  an  hour. 

"That's  what  I'm  mostly  interested  in,"  said 
Lieutenant  Marbury.  "It's  easy  enough  to  get 
several  good  types  of  dirigible  balloons,  but  few 
of  them  will  stand  having  a  gun  fired  from  them, 
to  say  nothing  of  several  guns." 

"Well,  I'm  not  making  any  rash  promises," 
Tom  went  on,  "but  I  think  we  can  turn  the  trick.'* 

The  armament  of  the  Mars  was  located  around 
the  center  cabin.  There  were  two  large  guns, 
fore  and  aft,  throwing  a  four-inch  projectile,  and 
two  smaller  calibered  quick-firers  on  either  beam. 
The  guns  were  mounted  on  pedestals  that  en- 


(I36     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

abled  the  weapons  to  fire  in  almost  any  direction, 
save  straight  up,  and  of  course  the  balloon  bag 
being  above  them  prevented  this.  However, 
there  was  an  arrangement  whereby  a  small  auto- 
matic quick-firer  could  be  sent  up  to  a  platform 
built  on  top  of  the  gas  envelope  itself,  and  a  man 
stationed  there  could  shoot  at  a  rival  airship  di- 
rectly overhead. 

But  the  main  deck  guns  could  be  elevated  to  an 
angle  of  nearly  forty-five  degrees,  so  they  could 
take  care  of  nearly  any  hostile  aircraft  that  ap- 
proached. 

"But  where  are  the  bombs  I  heard  you  speaking 
of?"  asked  Ned,  as  they  finished  looking  at  the 
guns. 

"Here  they  are,"  spoke  Tom,  as  he  pointed  to 
a  space  in  the  middle  of  the  main  cabin  floor. 
He  lifted  a  brass  plate,  and  disclosed  three  holes, 
covered  with  a  strong  wire  netting  that  could  be 
removed.  "The  bombs  will  be  dropped  through 
those  holes,"  explained  the  young  inventor,  "be- 
ing released  by  a  magnetic  control  when  the 
operator  thinks  he  has  reached  a  spot  over  the 
enemy's  city  or  fortification  where  the  most  dam- 
age will  be  done.  I'll  show  you  how  they  work 
a  little  later.  Now  we'll  have  a  test  of  some  of 
the  guns." 

Tom  called  for  some  of  his  men  to  take  charge 


IN  DANGER  137 

of  the  steering  and  running  of  the  Mars,  while 
he  and  Lieutenant  Marbury  prepared  to  fire  the 
two  larger  weapons.  This  was  to  be  one  of  the 
most  important  tests. 

Service  charges  had  been  put  in,  though,  of 
course,  no  projectiles  would  be  used,  since  they 
were  then  flying  over  a  large  city  not  far  from 
Shopton. 

"We'll  have  to  wait  until  we  get  out  over  the 
ocean  to  give  a  complete  test,  with  a  bursting 
shell,"  Tom  said. 

He  and  Lieutenant  Marbury  were  beside  a  gun, 
and  were  about  to  fire  it,  when  suddenly,  from 
the  stern  of  the  ship,  came  a  ripping,  tearing 
sound,  and,  at  the  same  time,  confused  shouts 
came  from  the  crew's  quarters. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Tom. 

"One  of  the  propellers !"  was  the  answer.  "It's 
split,  and  has  torn  a  big  hole  in  the  gas  bag !" 

"Bless  my  overshoes!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"We're  going  down!" 

All  on  board  the  Mars  became  aware  of  a 
sudden  sinking  sensation. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


TOM    IS   WORRIED 


"Steady,  all!"  came  in  even  tones  from  Tom 
Swift.  Not  for  an  instant  had  he  lost  his  com- 
posure. For  it  was  an  accident,  that  much  was 
certain,  and  one  that  might  endanger  the  lives  of 
all  on  board. 

Above  the  noise  of  the  machinery  in  the  motor* 
room  could  be  heard  the  thrashing  and  banging 
of  the  broken  or  loose  propeller-blade.  Just  what 
its  condition  was,  could  not  be  told,  as  a  bulge  of 
the  gas  bag  hid  it  from  the  view  of  those  gathered 
about  the  gun,  which  was  about  to  be  fired  when 
the  alarm  was  given. 

"We're  sinking!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "We're 
going  down,  Tom!" 

"That's  nothing,"  was  the  cool  answer.  "It  is 
only  for  a  moment.  Only  a  few  of  the  gas  com- 
partments can  be  torn.  There  will  soon  be 
enough  additional  gas  in  the  others  to  lift  us 
again." 

And  so  it  proved.  The  moment  the  pressure 
138 


TOM  IS  WORRIED  139 

of  the  lifting  gas  in  the  big  oiled  silk  and  alumi- 
num container  was  lowered,  it  started  the  gener- 
ating machine,  and  enough  extra  gas  was  pumped 
into  the  uninjured  compartments  to  compensate 
for  the  loss. 

"We're  not  falling  so  fast  now,"  observed  Ned. 

"No,  and  we'll  soon  stop  falling  altogether," 
calmly  declared  Tom.  "Too  bad  this  accident 
had  to  happen,  though." 

"It  might  have  been  much  worse,  my  boy!" 
exclaimed  the  lieutenant.  "That's  a  great  ar- 
rangement of  yours — the  automatic  gas  machine." 

"It's  on  the  same  principle  as  the  air  brakes  of 
a  trolley  car,"  explained  Tom,  when  a  look  at  the 
indicators  showed  that  the  Mars  had  ceased  fall- 
ing and  remained  stationary  in  the  air.  Tom  had 
also  sent  a  signal  to  the  engine-room  to  shut  off 
the  power,  so  that  the  two  undamaged  propellers, 
as  well  as  the  broken  one,  ceased  revolving. 

"In  a  trolley  car,  you  see,"  Tom  went  on,  when 
the  excitement  had  calmed  down,  "as  soon  as  the 
air  pressure  in  the  tanks  gets  below  a  certain 
point,  caused  by  using  the  air  for  a  number  of 
applications  of  the  brakes,  it  lets  a  magnetized 
bar  fall,  and  this  establishes  an  electrical  connec- 
tion, starting  the  air  pump.  The  pump  forces 
more  air  into  the  tanks  until  the  pressure  is 
Enough  to  throw  the  pump  switch  out  of  connect 


I40     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

tion,  when  the  pump  stops.  I  use  the  same  thing 
here." 

"And  very  clever  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Damon.  "Do 
you  suppose  the  danger  is  all  over,  Tom?" 

"For  the  time  being,  yes.  But  we  must  unship 
that  damaged  propeller,  and  go  on  with  the  two." 

The  necessary  orders  were  given,  and  several 
men  from  the  engine-room  at  once  began  the 
removal  of  the  damaged  blades. 

As  several  spare  ones  were  carried  aboard  one 
could  be  put  on  in  place  of  the  broken  one,  had 
this  been  desired.  But  Tom  thought  the  accident 
a  good  chance  to  see  how  his  craft  would  act  with 
only  two-thirds  of  her  motive  force  available,  so 
he  did  not  order  the  damaged  propeller  replaced. 
When  it  was  lowered  to  the  deck  it  was  carefully 
examined. 

"What  made  it  break?"  Ned  wanted  to  know. 

"That's  a  question  I  can't  answer,"  Tom  re- 
plied. "There  may  have  been  a  defect  in  the 
wood,  but  I  had  it  all  carefully  examined  before 
I  used  it." 

The  propeller  was  one  of  the  "built-up"  type, 
with  alternate  layers  of  ash  and  mahogany,  but 
some  powerful  force  had  torn  and  twisted  the 
blades.  The  wood  was  splintered  and  split,  and 
some  jagged  pieces,  flying  off  at  a  tangent,  so 


TOM  IS  WORRIED  141 

great  was  the  centrifugal  force,  had  torn  holes 
in  the  strong  gas  bag. 

"Did  something  hit  it ;  or  did  it  hit  something?" 
asked  Ned  as  he  saw  Tom  carefully  examining 
the  broken  blades. 

"Hard  to  say.  I'll  have  a  good  look  at  this 
when  we  get  back.  Just  now  I  want  to  finish 
that  gun  test  we  didn't  get  a  chance  to  start." 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  you're  going  to  keep 
on,  and  with  the  balloon  damaged;  are  you?" 
cried  Mr.  Damon,  in  surprise. 

"Certainly — why  not  ?"  Tom  replied.  "In  war- 
fare accidents  may  happen,  and  if  the  Mars  can't 
go  on,  after  a  little  damage  like  this,  what  is  go- 
ing to  happen  when  she's  fired  on  by  a  hostile 
ship?      Of   course   I'm   going  on!" 

"Bless  my  necktie!"  ejaculated  the  odd  man. 

"That's  the  way  to  talk !"  exclaimed  Lieutenant 
Marbury.     "I'm  with  you." 

There  really  was  very  little  danger  in  proceed- 
ing. The  Mars  was  just  as  buoyant  as  before, 
for  more  gas  had  been  automatically  made,  and 
forced  into  the  uninjured  compartments  of  the 
bag.  At  the  same  time  enough  sand  ballast  had 
been  allowed  to  run  out  to  make  the  weight  to 
be  lifted  less  in  proportion  to  the  power  remain- 
ing. 

True,  the  speed  would  be  less,  with  two  pro- 


142     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

pellers  instead  of  three,  and  the  craft  would  not 
steer  as  well,  with  the  torn  ends  of  the  gas  bag 
floating  out  behind.  But  this  made  a  nearer  ap- 
proach to  war  conditions,  and  Tom  was  always 
glad  to  give  his  inventions  the  most  severe  tests 
possible. 

So,  after  a  little  while,  during  which  it  was 
seen  that  the  Mars  was  proceeding  almost  nor- 
mally, the  matter  of  discharging  the  guns  was 
taken  up  again. 

The  weapons  were  all  ready  to  fire,  and  when 
Tom  had  attached  the  pressure  gauges  to  note 
how  much  energy  was  expended  in  the  recoil,  he 
gave  the  word  to  fire. 

The  two  big  weapons  were  discharged  to- 
gether, and  for  a  moment  after  the  report  echoed 
out  among  the  cloud  masses  every  soul  on  the 
ship  feared  another  accident  had  happened. 

For  the  big  craft  rolled  and  twisted,  and 
seemed  about  to  turn  turtle.  Her  forward  prog- 
ress was  halted,  momentarily,  and  a  cry  of  fear 
came  from  several  of  the  members  of  the  crew, 
who  had  had  only  a  little  experience  in  aircraft. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Ned.  "Something 
go  wrong?" 

"A  little,"  admitted  Tom,  with  a  rueful  look 
on  his  face.  "Those  recoil  checks  didn't  work 
as  well  in  practice  as  they  did  in  theory." 


TOM  TS  WORRIED  143 

"Are  you  sure  they  are  strong  enough  ?*  asked 
Lieutenant  Marbury. 

"I  thought  so,"  spoke  Tom.  "I'll  put  more 
tension  on  the  spring  next  time." 

"Bless  my  watch  chain!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"You  aren't  going  to  fire  those  guns  again;  are 
you,  Tom?" 

"Why  not?  We  can't  tell  what's  the  matter, 
nor  get  things  right  without  experimenting. 
There's  no  danger." 

"No  danger!  Don't  you  call  nearly  upsetting 
the  ship  danger?" 

"Oh,  well,  if  she  turns  over  she'll  right  her- 
self again,"  Tom  said.  "The  center  0/  gravity 
is  low,  you  see.  She  can't  floa>  in  any  position 
but  right  side  up,  though  she  may  turn  over  once 
or  twice." 

"Excuse  me!"  said  Mr.  Damon  firmly.  "I'd 
rather  go  down,  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you.  If 
my  wife  ever  knew  I  was  here  I'd  never  hear 
the  last  of  it!" 

"We'll  go  down  soon,"  Tom  promised.  -  "But 
I  must  fire  a  couple  of  shots  more.  You  wouldn't 
call  the  recoil  checks  a  success,  would  you?"  and 
the  young  inventor  appealed  to  the  government 
inspector. 

"No,  I  certainly  would  not,"  was  the  prompt 
answer.     "I  am  sorry,  too,  for  they  seemed  to 


144     T0M  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

be  just  what  was  needed.  Of  course  I  under- 
stand this  is  not  an  official  test,  and  I  am  not 
obliged  to  make  a  report  of  this  trial.  But  had 
it  been,  I  should  have  had  to  score  against  you."' 

"I  realize  that,  and  I'm  not  asking  any  favors. 
But  I'll  try  it  again  with  the  recoil  checks  tight- 
ened up.  I  think  the  hydrostatic  valves  were 
open  too  much,  also." 

Preparations  were  now  made  for  firing  the 
four-inch  guns  once  more.  All  this  while  the 
Mars  had  been  speeding  around  in  space,  being 
about  two  miles  up  in  the  air.  Tom's  craft  was 
not  designed  to  reach  as  great  an  elevation  as 
would  be  possible  in  an  aeroplane,  since  to  work 
havoc  to  an  enemy's  fortifications  by  means  of 
aerial  bombs  they  do  not  need  to  be  dropped 
from  a  great  height. 

In  fact,  experiments  in  Germany  have  showit 
that  bombs  falling  from  a  great  height  are  less 
effective  than  those  falling  from  an  airship 
nearer  the  earth.  For  a  bomb,  falling  from  a 
height  of  two  miles,  acquires  enough  momentum 
to  penetrate  far  into  the  earth,  so  that  much  of 
the  resultant  explosive  force  is  expended  in  a 
downward  direction,  and  little  damage  is  done  to 
the  fortifications.  A  bomb  dropped  from  a  lower 
altitude,  expending  its  force  on  all  sides,  does 
much  more  damage. 


TOM  IS  WORRIED  145 

On  the  other  hand,  in  destroying  buildings, 
it  has  been  found  desirable  to  drop  a  bomb  from 
a  good  height  so  that  it  may  penetrate  even  a 
protected   roof,   and   explode   inside. 

Once  more  Tom  made  ready  to  fire,  this  time 
having  given  the  recoil  checks  greater  resistance. 
But  though  there  was  less  motion  imparted  to 
the  airship  when  the  guns  were  discharged,  there 
was  still  too  much  for  comfort,  or  even  safety. 

"Well,  something's  wrong,  that's  sure,"  re- 
marked Tom,  in  rather  disappointed  tones  as  he 
noted  the  effect  of  the  second  shots.  "If  we  get 
as  much  recoil  from  the  two  guns,  what  would 
happen  if  we  fired  them  all  at  once?" 

"Don't  do  it!  Don't  do  it,  I  beg  of  you!"  en- 
treated Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  toothbrush — 
don't  do  it !" 

"I  won't — just  at  present,"  Tom  said,  ruefully. 
"I'm  afraid  I'll  have  to  begin  all  over  again,  and 
proceed  along  new  lines." 

"Well,  perhaps  you  will,"  said  the  lieutenant. 
"But  you  may  invent  something  much  better 
than  anything  you  have  now.  There  is  no  great 
rush.    Take  your  time,  and  do  something  good." 

"Oh,  I'll  get  busy  on  it  right  away,'?  Tom  de- 
clared. "We'll  go  down  now,  and  start  right  to 
work.  I'm  afraid,  Ned,  that  our  idea  of  a  door- 
spring  check  isn't  going  to  work." 


I46      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"I  might  have  known  my  idea  wouldn't  amount 
to  anything,"  said  the  young  bank  clerk. 

"Oh,  the  idea  is  all  right,"  declared  Tom,  "but 
it  wants  modifying.  There  is  more  power  to 
those  recoils  than  I  figured,  though  our  first  ex- 
periments seemed  to  warrant  us  in  believing  that 
we  had  solved  the  problem." 

"Are  you  going  to  try  the  bomb-dropping  de- 
vice?" asked  the  lieutenant. 

"Yes,  there  can't  be  any  recoil  from  that,"  Tom 
said.  "I'll  drop  a  few  blank  ones,  and  see  how 
accurate  the  range  finders  are." 

While  his  men  were  getting  ready  for  this  test 
Tom  bent  over  the  broken  propeller,  looking  from 
that  to  the  recoil  checks,  which  had  not  come  up 
to  expectations.  Then  he  shook  his  head  in  a 
worried  and  puzzled  manner. 


CHAPTER    XVII 


AN   OCEAN    FLIGHT 


Dropping  bombs  from  an  aeroplane,  or  a 
dirigible  balloon,  is  a  comparatively  simple  mat- 
ter. Of  course  there  are  complications  that  may 
ensue,  from  the  danger  of  carrying  high  explo- 
sives in  the  limited  quarters  of  an  airship,  with 
its  inflammable  gasoline  fuel,  and  ever-present 
electric  spark,  to  the  possible  premature  explo- 
sion of  the  bomb  itself.  But  they  seem  to  be 
considered  minor  details  now. 

On  the  other  hand,  while  it  is  comparatively 
easy  to  drop  a  bomb  from  a  moving  aeroplane,  or 
dirigible  balloon,  it  is  another  matter  to  make  the 
bomb  fall  just  where  it  will  do  the  most  damage 
to  the  enemy.  It  is  not  easy  to  gauge  distances, 
high  up  in  the  air,  and  then,  too,  allowance  must 
be  made  for  the  speed  of  the  aircraft,  the  ever- 
increasing  velocity  of  a  falling  body,  and  the 
deflection  caused  by  air  currents. 

The  law  of  velocity  governing  falling  bodies 
is  well  known.     It  varies,  of  course,  according 

147 


148     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

to  the  height,  but  in  general  a  body  falling  freely 
toward  the  earth,  as  all  high-school  boys  know,  is 
accelerated  at  the  rate  of  thirty-two  feet  per 
second.  This  law  has  been  taken  advantage  of 
by  the  French  in  the  present  European  war.  The 
French  drop  from  balloons,  or  aeroplanes,  a 
steel  dart  about  the  size  of  a  lead  pencil,  and 
sharpened  in  about  the  same  manner.  Dropping 
from  a  height  of  a  mile  or  so,  that  dart  will  ac- 
quire enough  velocity  to  penetrate  a  man  from 
his  head  all  the  way  through  his  body  to  his  feet. 

But  in  dropping  bombs  from  an  airship  the 
damage  intended  does  not  so  much  depend  on  ve- 
locity. It  is  necessary  to  know  how  fast  the  bomb 
falls  in  order  to  know  when  to  set  the  time  fuse 
that  will  explode  it ;  though  some  bombs  will  ex- 
plode on  concussion. 

At  aeroplane  meets  there  are  often  bomb-drop- 
ping contests,  and  balls  rilled  with  a  white  powder 
(that  will  make  a  dust-cloud  on  falling,  and  so 
show  where  they  strike)  are  used  to  demonstrate 
the  birdman's  accuracy. 

"We'll  see  how  our  bomb-release  works,"  Tom 
went  on.  "But  we'll  have  to  descend  a  bit  in 
order  to  watch  the  effect." 

"You're  not  going  to  use  real  bombs,  are  you, 
Tom?"  asked  Ned. 

"Indeed  not.     Just  chalk-dust  ones  for  prac- 


AN  OCEAN  FLIGHT  149 

tice.  Now  here  is  where  the  bombs  will  be 
placed,"  and  he  pointed  to  the  three  openings  in 
the  floor  of  the  amidship  cabin.  The  wire  net- 
tings were  taken  out  and  one  could  look  down 
through  the  holes  to  the  earth  below,  the  ground 
being  nearer  now,  as  Tom  had  let  out  some  of 
the  lifting  gas. 

"Here  is  the  range-finder  and  the  speed  cal- 
culator," the  young  inventor  went  on  as  he  in- 
dicated the  various  instruments.  "The  opera- 
tor sits  here,  where  he  can  tell  when  is  the  most 
favorable  moment  for  releasing  the  bomb." 

Tom  took  his  place  before  a  complicated  set 
of  instruments,  and  began  manipulating  them. 
One  of  his  assistants,  under  the  direction  of  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury,  placed  in  the  three  openings 
bombs,  made  of  light  cardboard,  just  the  size  of 
a  regular  bomb,  but  filled  with  a  white  powder 
that  would,  on  breaking,  make  a  dust-cloud  which 
could  be  observed  from  the  airship. 

"I  have  first  to  determine  where  I  want  to 
drop  the  bomb,"  Tom  explained,  "and  then  I  have 
to  get  my  distance  from  it  on  the  range-finder. 
Next  I  have  to  know  how  fast  I  am  traveling, 
and  how  far  up  in  the  air  I  am,  to  tell  what  the 
velocity  of  the  falling  bomb  will  attain  at  a  cer- 
tain time.  This  I  can  do  by  means  of  these  in- 
struments, some  of  which  I  have  adapted  from 


150      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

those  used  by  the  government,"  he  said,  with  a 
nod  to  the  officer. 

"That's  right — take  all  the  information  yon 
can  get,"  was  the  smiling  response. 

"We  will  now  assume  that  the  bombs  are  in 
place  in  the  holes  in  the  floor  of  the  cabin,"  Tom 
went  on.  "As  I  sit  here  I  have  before  me  three 
buttons.  They  control  the  magnets  that  hold  the 
bombs  in  place.  If  I  press  one  of  the  buttons  it 
breaks  the  electrical  current,  the  magnet  no 
longer  has  any  attraction,  and  it  releases  the  ex- 
plosive. Now  look  down.  I  am  going  to  try 
and  drop  a  chalk  bomb  near  that  stone  fence." 

The  Mars  was  then  flying  over  a  large  field, 
and  a  stone  fence  was  in  plain  view. 

"Here  she  goes !"  cried  Tom,  as  he  made  some 
rapid  calculations  from  his  gauge  instruments. 
There  was  a  little  click  and  the  chalk  bomb 
dropped.  There  was  a  plate  glass  floor  in  part 
of  the  cabin,  and  through  this  the  progress  of 
the  pasteboard  bomb  could  be  observed. 

"She'll  never  go  anywhere  near  the  fence!" 
declared  Ned.    "You  let  it  drop  too  soon,  Tom !" 

"Did  I?  You  just  watch.  I  had  to  allow  for 
the  momentum  that  would  be  given  the  bomb  by 
the  forward  motion  of  the  balloon." 

Hardly  had  Tom  spoken  than  a  puff  of  white 
was  seen  on  the  very  top  of  the  fence. 


AN  OCEAN  FLIGHT  151 

"There  it  goes!"  cried  the  lieutenant.  "You 
did  the  trick,  Swift !" 

"Yes,  I  thought  I  would.  Well,  that  shows 
my  gauges  are  correct,  anyhow.  Now  we'll  try 
the  other  two  bombs." 

In  succession  they  were  released  from  the  bot- 
tom of  the  cabin,  at  other  designated  objects. 
The  second  one  was  near  a  tree.  It  struck  within 
five  feet,  which  was  considered  good. 

"And  I'll  let  the  last  one  down  near  that  scare- 
crow in  the  field,"  said  Tom,  pointing  to  a  ragged 
figure  in  the  middle  of  a  patch  of  corn. 

Down  went  the  cardboard  bomb,  and  so  good 
Was  the  aim  of  the  young  inventor  that  the  white 
dust  arose  in  a  cloud  directly  back  of  the  scare- 
crow. 

And  then  a  queer  thing  happened.  For  the 
figure  seemed  to  come  to  life,  and  Ned,  who  was 
watching  through  a  telescope,  saw  a  very  much 
excited  farmer  looking  up  with  an  expression  of 
the  greatest  wonder  on  his  face.  He  saw  the 
balloon  over  his  head,  and  shook  his  fist  at  it, 
evidently  thinking  he  had  had  a  narrow  escape. 
But  the  pasteboard  bomb  was  so  light  that,  had 
it  hit  him,  he  would  not  have  been  injured, 
though  he  might  have  been  well  dusted. 

"Why,  that  was  a  man!  Bless  my  pocketbook !" 
cried  Mr.  Damon. 


152     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"I  guess  it  was,"  agreed  Tom.  "I  took  it  for 
a  scarecrow." 

"Well,  it  proved  the  accuracy  of  your  aim,  at 
any  rate,"  observed  Lieutenant  Marbury.  "The 
bomb  dropping  device  of  your  aerial  warship  is 
perfect — I  can  testify  to  that." 

"And  I'll  have  the  guns  fixed  soon,  so  there  will 
be  no  danger  of  a  recoil,  too,"  added  Tom  Swift, 
with  a  determined  look  on  his  face. 

"What's  next?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  looking  at 
his  watch.     "I  really  ought  to  be  home,  Tom." 

"We're  going  back  now,  and  down.  Are  you 
sure  you  don't  want  me  to  drop  you  in  your 
own  front  yard,  or  even  on  your  roof?  I  think 
I  could  manage  that." 

"Bless  my  stovepipe,  no,  Tom!  My  wife  would 
have  hysterics.  Just  land  me  at  Shopton  and 
I'll  take  a  car  home." 

The  damaged  airship  seemed  little  the  worse 
for  the  test  to  which  she  had  been  subjected, 
and  made  her  way  at  good  speed  in  the  direction 
of  Tom's  home.  Several  little  experiments  were 
tried  on  the  way  back.  They  all  worked  well,  and 
the  only  two  problems  Tom  had  to  solve  were 
the  taking  care  of  the  recoil  from  the  guns  and 
finding  out  why  the  propeller  had  broken. 

A  safe  landing  was  made,  and  the  Mars  once 
more  put  away  in  her  hangar.    Mr.  Damon  de* 


AN  OCEAN  FLIGHT,  153 

parted  for  his  home,  and  Lieutenant  Marbury 
again  took  up  his  residence  in  the  Swift  house- 
hold. 

"Well,  Tom,  how  did  it  go?"  asked  his  father. 

"Not  so  very  well.  Too  much  recoil  from  the 
guns." 

"I  was  afraid  so.  You  had  better  drop  this  line 
of  work,  and  go  at  something  else." 

"No,  Dad!"  Tom  cried.  "I'm  going  to  make 
this  work.  I  never  had  anything  stump  me  yet, 
and  I'm  not  going  to  begin  now!" 

"Well,  that's  a  good  spirit  to  show,"  said  the 
aged  inventor,  with  a  shake  of  his  head,  "but  I 
don't  believe  you'll  succeed,  Tom." 

"Yes  I  will,  Dad !    You  just  wait." 

Tom  decided  to  begin  on  the  problem  of  the 
propeller  first,  as  that  seemed  more  simple.  He 
knew  that  the  gun  question  would  take  longer. 

"Just  what  are  you  trying  to  find  out,  Tom?" 
asked  Ned,  a  few  nights  later,  when  he  found  his 
chum  looking  at  the  broken  parts  of  the  propeller. 

"Trying  to  discover  what  made  this  blade 
break  up  and  splinter  that  way.  It  couldn't  have 
been  centrifugal  force,  for  it  wasn't  strong 
enough." 

Tom  was  "poking"  away  amid  splinters,  and 
bits  of  broken  wood,  when  he  suddenly  uttered 
an  exclamation,  and  held  up  something. 


154     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"Look!"  he  cried.     "I  believe  I've  found  it." 

"What?"  asked  Ned. 

"The  thing  that  weakened  the  propeller.  Look 
at  this,  and  smell !"  He  held  out  a  piece  of  wood 
toward  Ned.  The  bank  employee  saw  where  a 
half-round  hole  had  been  bored  in  what  remained 
of  the  blade,  and  from  that  hole  came  a  peculiar 
odor. 

"It's  some  kind  of  acid,"  ventured  Ned. 

"That's  it!"  cried  Tom.  "Someone  bored  a 
hole  in  the  propeller,  and  put  in  some  sort  of 
receptacle,  or  capsule,  containing  a  corrosive  acid. 
In  due  time,  which  happened  to  be  when  we  took 
our  first  flight,  the  acid  ate  through  whatever  it 
was  contained  in,  and  then  attacked  the  wood  of 
the  propeller  blade.  It  weakened  the  wood  so 
that  the  force  used  in  whirling  it  around  broke 
it." 

"Are  you  sure  of  that  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"As  sure  as  I  am  that  I'm  here !  Now  I  know 
what  caused  the  accident!" 

"But  who  would  play  such  a  trick?"  asked 
Ned.    "We  might  all  have  been  killed." 

"Yes,  I  know  we  might,"  said  Tom.  "It  must 
be  the  work  of  some  of  those  foreign  spies  whose 
first  plot  we  nipped  in  the  bud*  I  must  tell  Mar-) 
bury  of  this,  but  don't  mention  it  to  dad." 

"I  won't,"  promised  Ned. 


AN  OCEAN  FLIGHT  155 

Lieutenant  Marbury  agreed  with  Tom  that 
someone  had  surreptitiously  bored  a  small  hole 
in  the  propeller  blade,  and  had  inserted  a  cor- 
rosive acid  that  would  take  many  hours  to  op- 
erate. The  hole  had  been  varnished  over,  prob- 
ably, so  it  would  not  show. 

"And  that  means  I've  got  to  examine  the  other 
two  blades,"  Tom  said.  "They  may  be  doctored 
too." 

But  they  did  not  prove  to  be.  A  careful  ex- 
amination showed  nothing  wrong.  An  effort 
was  made  to  find  out  who  had  tried  to  destroy 
the  Mars  in  midair,  but  it  came  to  nothing.  The 
two  men  in  custody  declared  they  knew  nothing 
of  it,  and  there  was  no  way  of  proving  that  they 
did. 

Meanwhile,  the  torn  gas  bag  was  repaired,  and 
Tom  began  working  on  the  problem  of  doing 
away  with  the  gun  recoil.  He  tried  several 
schemes,  and  almost  was  on  the  point  of  giving 
up  when  suddenly  he  received  a  hint  by  reading 
an  account  of  how  the  recoil  was  taken  care  of 
on  some  of  the  German  Zeppelins. 

The  guns  there  were  made  double,  with  the  ex- 
tra barrel  filled  with  water  or  sand,  that  could 
be  shot  out  as  was  the  regular  charge.  As  both 
barrels  were  fired  at  the  same  time,  and  in  op- 
posite directions,  with  the  same  amount  of  pow- 


156      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

der,  one  neutralized  the  other,  and  the  recoil  was 
canceled,  the  ship  remaining  steady  after  fire. 

"By  Jove!  I  believe  that  will  do  the  trick!" 
cried  Tom.     "I'm  going  to  try  it." 

"Good  luck  to  you!"  cried  Ned. 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  change  all  the  guns 
on  the  Mars,  and  fit  them  with  double  barrels, 
But  by  working  day  and  night  shifts  Tom  man- 
aged it.  Meanwhile,  a  careful  watch  was  kept 
over  the  shops.  Several  new  men  applied  for 
work,  and  some  of  them  were  suspicious  enough 
in  looks,  but  Tom  took  on  no  new  hands. 

Finally  the  new  guns  were  made,  and  tried 
with  the  Mars  held  on  the  ground.  They  be- 
haved perfectly,  the  shooting  of  sand  or  water 
from  the  dummy  barrel  neutralizing  the  shot 
from  the  service  barrel. 

"And  now  to  see  how  it  works  in  practice!'* 
cried  Tom  one  day.  "Are  you  with  me  for  9 
long  flight,  Ned?" 

"I  sure  am!" 

The  next  evening  the  Mars,  with  a  larger 
crew  than  before,  and  with  Tom,  Ned,  Mr.  Da- 
mon and  Lieutenant  Marbury  aboard,  set  sail. 

"But  why  start  at  night?"  asked  Ned. 

"You'll  see  in  the  morning,"  Tom  answered. 

The  Mars  flew  slowly  all  night,  life  aboard 
her^  at  about  the  level  of  the  clouds,  going  on 


AN  OCEAN  FLIGHT  157 

almost  as  naturally  as  though  the  occupants  of 
the  cabins  were  on  the  earth.  Excellent  meals 
were  served. 

"But  when  are  you  going  to  try  the  guns?" 
asked  Ned,  as  he  got  ready  to  turn  in. 

"Tell  you  in  the  morning,"  replied  Tom,  with 
a  smile. 

And,  in  the  morning,  when  Ned  looked  down 
through  the  plate  glass  in  the  cabin  floor,  he  ut- 
tered a  cry. 

"Why,  Tom!    We're  over  the  ocean !"  he  cried, 

"I  rather  thought  we'd  be,"  was  the  calm  re- 
ply. "I  told  George  to  head  straight  for  the  At- 
lantic. Now  we'll  have  a  test  with  service 
charges  and  projectiles  I" 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


IN  A  STORM 


Surprise,  for  the  moment,  held  Mr.  Damon, 
Ned  and  Lieutenant  Marbury  speechless.  They 
looked  from  the  heaving  waters  of  the  ocean 
below  them  to  the  young  pilot  of  the  Mars.  He 
smiled  at  their  astonishment. 

"What — what  does  it  mean,  Tom  ?"  asked  Ned. 
"You  never  said  you  were  going  to  take  a  trip 
as   far  as   this." 

"That's  right,"  chimed  in  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless 
my  nightcap!  If  I  had  known  I  was  going  to 
be  brought  so  far  away  from  home  I'd  nevef 
have  come." 

"You're  not  so  very  far  from  Waterford,"  put 
in  Tom.  "We  didn't  make  any  kind  of  speed 
coming  from  Shopton,  and  we  could  be  back 
again  inside  of  four  hours  if  we  had  to." 

"Then  you  didn't  travel  fast  during  the  night?" 
asked  the  government  man. 

"No,  we  just  drifted  along,"  Tom  answered. 
"I  gave  orders  to  run  the  machinery  slowly,  as  I 
wanted  to  get  it  in  good  shape  for  the  other  tests 
153 


IN  A  STORM  159 

that  will  come  soon.  But  I  told  George,  whom 
I  left  in  charge  when  I  turned  in,  to  head  for 
New  York.  I  wanted  to  get  out  over  the  ocean 
to  try  the  guns  with  the  new  recoil  arrangement." 

"Well,  we're  over  the  ocean  all  right,"  spoke 
Ned,  as  he  looked  down  at  the  heaving  waters. 

"It  isn't  the  first  time,"  replied  Tom  cheerfully. 
"Koku,  you  may  serve  breakfast  now,"  for  the 
giant  had  been  taken  along  as  a  sort  of  cook  and 
waiter.  Koku  manifested  no  surprise  or  alarm 
when  he  found  the  airship  floating  over  the  sea. 
Whatever  Tom  did  was  right  to  him.  He  had 
great  confidence  in  his  master. 

"No,  it  isn't  the  first  time  we've  taken  a  water 
flight,"  spoke  Ned.  "I  was  only  surprised  at  the 
suddenness  of  it,  that's  all." 

"It's  my  first  experience  so  far  out  above  the 
water,"  observed  Lieutenant  Marbury,  "though 
of  course  I've  sailed  on  many  seas.  Why,  we're 
out  of  sight  of  land." 

"About  ten  miles  out,  yes,"  admitted  Tom. 
"Far  enough  to  make  it  safe  to  test  the  guns  with 
real  projectiles.    That  is  what  I  want  to  do." 

"And  we've  been  running  all  night?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon. 

"Yes,  but  at  slow  speed.  The  engines  are  in 
better  shape  now  than  ever  before,"  Tom  said. 
"Well,  if  you're  ready  we'll  have  breakfast." 


l6o     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

The  meal  was  served  by  Koku  with  as  mucH 
unconcern  as  though  they  were  in  the  Swift 
homestead  back  in  Shopton,  instead  of  floating 
near  the  clouds.  And  while  it  was  being  eaten 
in  the  main  cabin,  and  while  the  crew  was  hav- 
ing breakfast  in  their  quarters,  the  aerial  war- 
ship was  moving  along  over  the  ocean  in  charge 
of  George  Watson,  one  of  Tom's  engineers,  who 
Was  stationed  in  the  forward  pilot-house. 

"So  you're  going  to  give  the  guns  a  real  test 
this  time,  is  that  it,  Tom?"  asked  Ned,  as  he 
pushed  back  his  plate,  a  signal  that  he  had  eaten 
enough. 

"That's  about  it" 

"But  don't  you  think  it's  a  bit  risky — out  over 
the  water  this  way.  Supposing  something  should 
— should  happen?"  Ned  hesitated. 

"You  mean  we  might  fall  ?"  asked  Tom,  with 
a  smile. 

"Yes;  or  turn  upside  down." 

"Nothing  like  that  could  happen.  I'm  so  sure 
that  I  have  solved  the  problem  of  the  recoil  of 
the  guns  that  I'm  willing  to  take  chances.  But 
if  any  of  you  want  to  get  off  the  Mars  while 
the  test  is  being  made,  I  have  a  small  boat  I  can 
lower,  and  let  you  row  about  in  that  until " 

"No,  thank  you!"  interrupted  Mr.  Damon,  as 
he  looked  below.    There  was  quite  a  heavy  swell 


IN  A  STORM  1611 

on,  and  the  ocean  did  not  appear  very  attractive. 
They  would  be  much  more  comfortable  in  the 
big  Mars. 

"I  think  you  won't  have  any  trouble,"  asserted 
Lieutenant  Marbury.  "I  believe  Tom  Swift  has 
the  right  idea  about  the  guns,  and  there  will  be 
so  small  a  shock  from  the  recoil  that  it  will  not 
be  noticeable." 

"We'll  soon  know,"  spoke  Tom.  "I'm  going  to 
get  ready  for  the  test  now." 

They  were  now  well  out  from  shore,  over  the 
Atlantic,  but  to  make  certain  no  ships  would  be 
endangered  by  the  projectiles,  Tom  and  the  others 
searched  the  waters  to  the  horizon  with  power- 
ful glasses.  Nothing  was  seen  and  the  work  of 
loading  the  guns  was  begun.  The  bomb  tubes, 
in  the  main  cabin,  were  also  to  be  given  a  test. 

As  service  charges  were  to  be  used,  and  as  the 
projectiles  were  filled  with  explosives,  great  care 
was  needed  in  handling  them. 

"We'll  try  dropping  bombs  first,"  Tom  sug- 
gested. "We  know  they  will  work,  and  that  will 
be  so  much  out  of  the  way." 

To  make  the  test  a  severe  one,  small  floating 
targets  were  first  dropped  overboard  from  the 
Mars.  Then  the  aerial  warship,  circling  about, 
came  on  toward  them.  Tom,  seated  at  the  range- 
finders,  pressed  the  button  that  released  the  shells 


162     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

containing  the  explosives.  One  after  another 
they  dropped  into  the  sea,  exploding  as  they  fell, 
and  sending  up  a  great  column  of  salt  water. 

"Every  one  a  hit!"  reported  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury,  who  was  keeping  "score." 

"That's  good,"  responded  Tom.  "But  the 
others  won't  be  so  easy.  We  have  nothing  to 
shoot  at." 

They  had  to  fire  the  other  guns  without  tar- 
gets at  which  to  aim.  But,  after  all,  it  was  the 
absence  of  recoil  they  wanted  to  establish,  and 
this  could  be  done  without  shooting  at  any  par- 
ticular object. 

One  after  another  the  guns  were  loaded.  As 
has  been  explained,  they  were  now  made  double, 
one  barrel  carrying  the  projectile,  and  the  other  a 
charge  of  water. 

"Are  you  ready?"  asked  Tom,  when  it  was 
time  to  fire.  Lieutenant  Marbury,  Ned  and  Mr. 
Damon  were  helping,  by  being  stationed  at  the 
pressure  gauges  to  note  the  results. 

"All  ready,"  answered  Ned. 

"Do  you  think  we'd  better  put  on  life  pre- 
servers, Tom?"  asked  Mr.   Damon. 

"Nonsense!     What  for?" 

"In  case — in  case  anything  happens." 

"Nothing  will  happen.  Look  out  now,  I'm 
going  to  fire." 


IN  A  STORM  163 

The  guns  were  to  be  fired  simultaneously  by 
means  of  an  electric  current,  when  Tom  pressed 
a  button. 

"Here  they  go!"  exclaimed  the  young  inven- 
tor. 

There  was  a  moment  of  waiting,  and  then  came 
a  thundering  roar.  The  Mars  trembled,  but  she 
did  not  shift  to  either  side  from  an  even  keel. 
From  one  barrel  of  the  guns  shot  out  the  ex- 
plosive projectiles,  and  from  the  other  spurted 
a  jet  of  water,  sent  out  by  a  charge  of  powder, 
equal  in  weight  to  that  which  forced  out  the 
shot. 

As  the  projectile  was  fired  in  one  direction, 
and  the  water  in  one  directly  opposite,  the  two 
discharges  neutralized  one  another. 

Out  flew  the  pointed  steel  shells,  to  fall  harm- 
lessly into  the  sea,  where  they  exploded,  sending 
up  columns  of  water. 

"Well!"  cried  Tom  as  the  echoes  died  away. 
"How  was  it?" 

"Couldn't  have  been  better,"  declared  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury.  "There  wasn't  the  least  shock 
of  recoil.  Tom  Swift,  you  have  solved  the  prob- 
lem, I  do  believe !  Your  aerial  warship  is  a  suc- 
cess !" 

"I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say  so.  There  are  one 
or  two  little  things  that  need  changing,  but  I 


164     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

really  think  I  have  about  what  the  United  States 
Government  wants." 

"I  am,  also,  of  that  belief,  Tom.  If  only  ^  " 
The  officer  stopped  suddenly. 

"Well?"  asked  Tom  suggestively. 

"I  was  going  to  say  if  only  those  foreign  spies 
don't  make  trouble." 

"I  think  we've  seen  the  last  of  them,"  Tom 
declared.     "Now  we'll  go  on  with  the  tests." 

More  guns  were  fired,  singly  and  in  batteries, 
and  in  each  case  the  Mars  stood  the  test  perfect- 
ly. The  double  barrel  had  solved  the  recoil  prob- 
lem. 

For  some  little  time  longer  they  remained  out 
over  the  sea,  going  through  some  evolutions  to 
test  the  rudder  control,  and  then  as  their  present 
object  had  been  accomplished  Tom  gave  orders 
to  head  back  to  Shopton,  which  place  was  reached 
in  due  time. 

"Well,  Tom,  how  was  it?"  asked  Mr.  Swift, 
for  though  his  son  had  said  nothing  to  his  friends 
about  the  prospective  test,  the  aged  inventor 
knew  about  it. 

"Successful,  Dad,  in  every  particular." 

"That's  good.  I  didn't  think  you  could  do  it. 
But  you  did.  I  tell  you  it  isn't  much  that  can 
get  the  best  of  a  Swift!"  exclaimed  the  aged  man 
proudly.     "Oh,  by  the  way,  Tom,  here's  a  tele- 


IN  A  STORM  165 

gram  that  came  while  you  were  gone,"  and  he 
handed  his  son  the  yellow  envelope. 

Tom  ripped  it  open  with  a  single  gesture,  and 
in  a  flash  his  eyes  took  in  the  words.     He  read : 

"Look  out  for  spies  during  trial  flights." 

The  message  was  signed  with  a  name  Tom 
did  not  recognize. 

"Any  bad  news?"  asked  Mr.  Swift. 

"No — oh,  no,"  replied  Tom,  as  he  crumpled 
up  the  paper  and  thrust  it  into  his  pocket.  "No 
bad  news,  Dad." 

"Well,  I'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  went  on  Mr. 
Swift.     "I  don't  like  telegrams." 

When  Tom  showed  the  message  to  Lieutenant 
Marbury,  that  official,  after  one  glance  at  the 
signature,  said: 

"Pierson,  eh?  Well,  when  he  sends  out  a 
warning  it  generally  means  something." 

"Who's  Pierson?"  asked  Tom. 

"Head  of  the  Secret  Service  department  that 
has  charge  of  this  airship  matter.  There  must 
be  something  in  the  wind,  Tom." 

Extra  precautions  were  taken  about  the  shops. 
Strangers  were  not  permitted  to  enter,  and  all 
future  work  on  the  Mars  was  kept  secret.  Never- 
theless, Tom  was  worried.     He  did  not  want  his 


166     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

work  to  be  spoiled  just  when  it  was  about  to  be 
a  success.  For  that  it  was  a  success,  Lieutenant 
Marbury  assured  him.  The  government  man 
said  he  would  have  no  hesitation  in  recommend- 
ing the  purchase  of  Tom's  aerial  warship. 

"There's  just  one  other  test  I  want  to  see 
made,"  he  said. 

"What  is  that?"  Tom  inquired. 

"In  a  storm.  You  know  we  can't  always  count 
on  having  good  weather,  and  I'd  like  to  see  how 
she  behaves  in  a  gale." 

"You  shall!"  declared  the  young  inventor. 

For  the  next  week,  during  which  finishing 
touches  were  put  on  the  big  craft,  Tom  anxiously 
waited  for  signs  of  a  storm.  At  last  they  came. 
Danger  signals  were  put  up  all  along  the  coast, 
and  warnings  were  sent  out  broadcast  by  the 
Weather  Bureau  at  Washington. 

One  dull  gray  morning  Tom  roused  his  friends 
early  and  announced  that  the  Mars  was  going  up. 

"A  big  storm  is  headed  this  way,"  Tom  said, 
"and  we'll  have  a  chance  to  see  how  she  behaves 
in  it." 

And  even  as  the  flight  began,  the  forerunning 
wind  and  rain  came  in  a  gust  of  fury.  Into  the 
midst  of  it  shot  the  big  aerial  warship,  with  her 
powerful  propellers  beating  the  moisture-laden 
air. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

QUEER  HAPPENINGS 

"Say,  Tom,  are  you  sure  you're  all  right?" 

"Of  course  I  am!     What  do  you  mean?" 

It  was  Ned  Newton  who  asked  the  question, 

and  Tom  Swift  who  answered  it.     The  chums 

were  in  the  pilot-house  of  the  dipping,  swaying 

Mars,  which  was  nosing  her  way  into  ihe  storm, 

fighting  on  an  upward  slant,  trying,  if  possible,  to 

get  above  the  area  of  atmospheric  disturbance. 

"Well,  I  mean  are  you  sure  your  craft  will 

stand  all  this  straining,  pulling  and  hauling?" 

went  on  Ned,  as  he  clung  to  a  brass  hand  rail, 

built  in  the  side  of  the  pilot-house  wall  for  the 

very  purpose  to  which  it  was  now  being  put. 

"If  she  doesn't  stand  it  she's  no  good!"  cried 
Tom,  as  he  clung  to  the  steering  wheel,  which  was 
nearly  torn  from  his  hands  by  the  deflections  of 
the  rudders. 

"Well,  it's  taking  a  big  chance,   it  seems  to 
me,"  went  on  Ned,  as  he  peered  through  the 
rain-spotted  bull's-eyes  of  the  pilot-house. 
167 


168     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

"There's  no  danger,"  declared  Tom.  "I  want- 
ed to  give  the  ship  the  hardest  test  possible  before 
I  formally  offered  her  to  the  government.  If 
she  can't  stand  a  blow  like  this  she  isn't  what 
I  thought  her,  and  I'll  have  to  build  another.  But 
I'm  sure  she  will  stand  the  racket,  Ned.  She's 
built  strongly,  and  even  if  part  of  the  gas  bag 
is  carried  away,  as  it  was  when  our  propeller 
shattered,  we  can  still  sail.  If  you  think  this 
is  anything,  wait  until  we  turn  about  and  begin 
to  fight  our  way  against  the  wind." 

"Are  you  going  to  do  that,  Tom?" 

"I  certainly  am.  We're  going  with  the  gala 
now,  to  see  what  is  the  highest  rate  of  speed  we 
can  attain.  Pretty  soon  I'm  going  to  turn  her 
around,  and  see  if  she  can  make  any  headway 
in  the  other  direction.  Of  course  I  know  she 
won't  make  much,  if  any.,  speed,  against  the  gale; 
but  I  must  give  her  that  test." 

"Well,  Tom,  you  know  best,  of  course,"  ad- 
mitted Ned.  "But  to  me  it  seems  like  taking  3 
big  risk." 

And  indeed  it  did  seem,  not  only  to  Ned,  but  to 
some  of  the  experienced  men  of  Tom's  crew,  that 
the  young  inventor  was  taking  more  chances 
than  ever  before,  and  Tom,  as  my  old  readers 
well  know,  had,  in  his  career,  taken  some  b\% 
ones. 


QUEER  HAPPENINGS  i$g 

The  storm  grew  worse  as  the  day  progressed, 
until  it  was  a  veritable  hurricane  of  wind  and 
rain.  The  warnings  of  the  Weather  Bureau  had 
not  been  exaggerated.  But  through  the  fierce 
blow  the  Mars  fought  her  way.  As  Tom  had 
said,  she  was  going  with  the  wind.  This  was 
comparatively  easy.  But  what  would  happen 
;when  she  headed  into  the  storm? 

Mr.  Damon,  in  the  main  cabin,  sat  and  looked 
at  Lieutenant  Marbury,  the  eccentric  man  now 
and  then  blessing  something  as  he  happened  to 
think  of  it. 

"Do  you — do  you  think  we  are  in  any  danger?" 
he  finally  asked. 

"Not  at  present,"  replied  the  government  ex- 
pert. 

"You  mean  we  will  be — later?" 

"It's  hard  to  say.  I  guess  Tom  Swift  knows 
his  business,  though." 

"Bless  my  accident  insurance  policy!"  mur- 
mured Mr.  Damon.    "I  wish  I  had  stayed  home. 

If  my  wife  ever  hears  of  this "     He  did 

not  seem  able  to  finish  the  sentence. 

In  the  engine-room  the  crew  were  busy  over 
the  various  machines.  Some  of  the  apparatus 
was  being  strained  to  keep  the  ship  on  her  course 
in  the  powerful  wind,  and  would  be  under  a 
worse  stress  when  Tom  turned  his  craft  about. 


170     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HTS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

But,  so  far,  nothing  had  given  way,  and  every- 
thing was  working  smoothly. 

As  hour  succeeded  hour  and  nothing  hap- 
pened, the  timid  ones  aboard  began  to  take  more 
courage.  Tom  never  for  a  moment  lost  heart. 
He  knew  what  his  craft  could  do,  and  he  had 
taken  her  up  in  a  terrific  storm  with  a  definite 
purpose  in  view.  He  was  the  calmest  person 
aboard,  with  the  exception,  perhaps,  of  Koku. 
The  giant  did  not  seem  to  know  what  fear  was. 
He  depended  entirely  on  Tom,  and  as  long  as 
his  young  master  had  charge  of  matters  the 
giant  was  content  to  obey  orders. 

There  was  to  be  no  test  of  the  guns  this  time. 
They  had  worked  sufficiently  well,  and,  if  need 
be,  could  have  been  fired  in  the  gale.  But  Tom 
did  not  want  his  men  to  take  unnecessary  risks, 
nor  was  he  foolhardy  himself. 

"We'll  have  our  hands  full  when  we  turn 
around  and  head  into  the  wind,"  he  said  to  his 
chum.    "That  will  be  enough." 

"Then  you're  really  going  to  give  the  Mars 
that  test?" 

"I  surely  am.  I  don't  want  any  comebacks 
from  Uncle  Sam  after  he  accepts  my  aerial  war- 
ship. I've  guaranteed  that  she'll  stand  up  and 
make  headway  against  a  gale,  and  I'm  going  to 
prove  it." 


QVEER  HAPPENINGS  171 

Lieutenant  Marbury  was  told  of  the  coming 
trial,  and  he  prepared  to  take  official  note  of  it. 
While  matters  were  being  gotten  in  readiness 
Tom  turned  the  wheel  over  to  his  assistant  pilot 
and  went  to  the  engine-room  to  see  that  every- 
thing was  in  good  shape  to  cope  with  any  emer- 
gency. The  rudders  had  been  carefully  ex- 
amined before  the  flight  was  made,  to  make  sure 
they  would  not  fail,  for  on  them  depended  the 
progress  of  the  ship  against  the  powerful  wind. 

"I  rather  guess  those  foreign  spies  have  given 
up  trying  to  do  Tom  an  injury,"  remarked  Ned 
to  the  lieutenant  as  they  sat  in  the  main  cabin, 
listening  to  the  howl  of  the  wind,  and  the  dash 
of  the  rain. 

"Well,  I  certainly  hope  so,"  was  the  answer. 
"But  I  wouldn't  be  too  sure.  The  folks  in  Wash- 
ington evidently  think  something  is  likely  to 
happen,  or  they  wouldn't  have  sent  that  warning 
telegram." 

"But  we  haven't  seen  anything  of  the  spies," 
Ned  remarked. 

"No,  but  that  isn't  any  sign  they  are  not  get- 
ting ready  to  make  trouble.  This  may  be  the 
calm  before  the  storm.  Tom  must  still  be  on  the 
lookout.  It  isn't  as  though  his  inventions  alone 
were  in  danger,  for  they  would  not  hesitate  to 


172     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

inflict  serious  personal  injury  if  their  plans  wera 
thwarted." 

"They  must  be  desperate." 

"They  are.  But  here  comes  Tom  now.  He 
looks  as  though  something  new  was  about  to 
happen." 

"Take  care  of  yourselves  now,"  advised  the 
young  aero-inventor,  as  he  entered  the  cabin,  find-* 
ing  it  hard  work  to  close  the  door  against  the 
terrific  wind  pressure. 

"Why?"   asked   Ned. 

"Because  we  are  going  to  turn  around  and  fight 
our  way  back  against  the  gale.  We  may  ba 
turned  topsy-turvy  for  a  second  or  two." 

"Bless  my  shoe-horn !"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "Do 
you  mean  upside  down,  Tom?" 

"No,  not  that  exactly.    But  watch  out!" 

Tom  went  forward  to  the  pilot-house,  followed 
by  Ned  and  the  lieutenant.  The  latter  wanted 
to  take  official  note  of  what  happened.  Tom  re- 
lieved the  man  at  the  wheel,  and  gradually  began 
to  alter  the  direction  of  the  craft. 

At  first  no  change  was  noticeable.  So  strong 
was  the  force  of  the  wind  that  it  seemed  as 
though  the  Mars  was  going  in  the  same  direction. 
But  Ned,  noticing  a  direction  compass  on  the 
wall,  saw  that  the  needle  was  gradually  shift- 
ing. 


QUEER  HAPPENINGS  173 

"Hold  fast!"  cried  Tom  suddenly.  Then  with 
a  quick  shift  of  the  rudder  something  happened. 
It  seemed  as  though  the  Mars  was  trying  to  turn 
over,  and  slide  along  on  her  side,  or  as  if  she 
wanted  to  turn  about  and  scud  before  the  gale, 
instead  of  facing  it.  But  Tom  held  her  to  the 
reverse  course. 

"Can  you  get  her  around?"  cried  the  lieutenant 
above  the  foar  of  the  gale. 

"I — I'm  going  to !"  muttered  Tom  through  his 
set  teeth. 

Inch  by  inch  he  fought  the  big  craft  through 
the  storm.  Inch  by  inch  the  indicator  showed  the 
turning,  until  at  last  the  grip  of  the  gale  was 
overcome. 

"Now  she's  headed  right  into  it !"  cried  Tom  in 
exultation.     "She's  nosing  right  into  it!" 

And  the  Mars  was.  There  was  no  doubt  of 
it.  She  had  succeeded,  under  Tom's  direction, 
in  changing  squarely  about,  and  was  now  going 
against  the  wind,  instead  of  with  it. 

"But  we  can't  expect  to  make  much  speed," 
Tom  said,  as  he  signaled  for  more  power,  for 
he  had  lowered  it  somewhat  in  making  the  turn. 

But  Tom  himself  scarcely  had  reckoned  on  the 
force  of  his  craft,  for  as  the  propellers  whirled 
more  rapidly  the  aerial  warship  did  begin  to  make 
headway,  and  that  in  the  teeth  of  a  terrific  wind. 


174      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"She's  doing  it,  Tom!  She's  doing  it!"  cried 
Ned  exultingly. 

"I  believe  she  is,"  agreed  the  lieutenant. 

"Well,  so  much  the  better,"  Tom  said,  trying 
to  be  calm.  "If  she  can  keep  this  up  a  little  while 
I'll  give  her  a  rest  and  we'll  go  up  above  the  storm 
area,  and  beat  back  home." 

The  Mars,  so  far,  had  met  every  test.  Tom 
had  decided  on  ten  minutes  more  of  gale-fight- 
ing, when  from  the  tube  that  communicated  with 
the  engine-room  came  a  shrill  whistle. 

"See  what  that  is,  Ned,"  Tom  directed. 

"Yes,"  called  Ned  into  the  mouthpiece. 
"What's  the  matter?" 

"Short  circuit  in  the  big  motor,"  was  the  re- 
ply. "We've  got  to  run  on  storage  battery.  Send 
Tom  back  here!  Something  queer  has  hap- 
pened !" 


CHAPTER   XX 


THE    STOWAWAYS 


Ned  repeated  the  message  breathlessly. 

"Short  circuit!"  gasped  Tom.  "Run  on  stor- 
age battery!  I'll  have  to  see  to  that.  Take  the 
wheel  somebody!" 

"Wouldn't  it  be  better  to  turn  about.,  and  run 
before  the  wind,  so  as  not  to  put  too  great  a  strain 
on  the  machinery?"  asked  Lieutenant  Marbury. 

"Perhaps,"  agreed  Tom.  "Hold  her  this  way, 
though,  until  I  see  what's  wrong!" 

Ned  and  the  government  man  took  the  wheel, 
while  Tom  hurried  along  the  runway  leading 
from  the  pilot-house  to  the  machinery  cabin.  The 
gale  was  still  blowing  fiercely. 

The  young  inventor  cast  a  hasty  look  about 
the  interior  of  the  place  as  he  entered.  He  sniffed 
the  air  suspiciously,  and  was  aware  of  the  odor 
of  burning  insulation. 

"What  happened?"  he  asked,  noting  that  al- 
ready the  principal  motive  power  was  coming 
from  the  big  storage  battery.     The  shift   had 

175 


176     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

been  made  automatically,  when  the  main  moton 
gave  out. 

"It's  hard  to  say,"  was  the  answer  of  the  chief 
engineer.  "We  were  running  along  all  right,  and 
we  got  your  word  to  switch  on  more  power,  after 
the  turn.  We  did  that  all  right,  and  she  was 
running  as  smooth  as  a  sewing-machine,  when, 
all  of  a  sudden,  she  short-circuited,  and  the  stor- 
age battery  cut  in  automatically." 

"Think  you  put  too  heavy  a  load  on  the  mo- 
tor?" Tom  asked. 

"Couldn't  have  been  that.  The  shunt  box 
would  have  taken  that  up,  and  the  circuit-breaker 
would  have  worked,  saving  us  a  burn-out,  and 
that's  what  happened — a  burn-out.  The  motor 
will  have  to  be  rewound." 

"Well,  no  use  trying  to  fight  this  gale  with! 
the  storage  battery,"  Tom  said,  after  a  moment's1 
thought.  "We'll  run  before  it.  That's  the  easi- 
est way.    Then  we'll  try  to  rise  above  the  wind." 

He  sent  the  necessary  message  to  the  pilot- 
house. A  moment  later  the  shift  was  made,  and 
once  more  the  Mars  was  scudding  before  the 
storm.  Then  Tom  gave  his  serious  attention  to 
what  had  happened  in  the  engine  room. 

As  he  bent  over  the  burned-out  motor,  looking 
at  the  big  shiny  connections,  he  saw  something 
that  startled  him.     With  a  quick  motion  Tom, 


THE  STOWAWAYS  177 

Swift  picked  up  a  bar  of  coppen  It  was  hot  to 
the  touch — so  hot  that  he  dropped  it  with  a  cry 
of  pain,  though  he  had  let  go  so  quickly  that  the 
burn  was  only  momentary. 

" What's  the  matter?"  asked  Jerry  Mound, 
Tom's  engineer. 

"Matter!"  cried  Tom.  "A  whole  lot  is  the 
matter !  That  copper  bar  is  what  made  the  short 
circuit.  It's  hot  yet  from  the  electric  current. 
How  did  it  fall  on  the  motor  connections?" 

The  engine  room  force  gathered  about  the 
young  inventor.  No  one  could  explain  how  the 
copper  bar  came  to  be  where  it  was.  Certainly 
no  one  of  Tom's  employees  had  put  it  there,  and 
it  could  not  have  fallen  by  accident,  for  the  motor 
connections  were  protected  by  a  mesh  of  wire, 
and  a  hand  would  have  to  be  thrust  under  them 
to  put  the  bar  in  place.  Tom  gave  a  quick  look 
at  his  men.  He  knew  he  could  trust  them — > 
every  one.    But  this  was  a  queer  happening. 

For  a  moment  Tom  did  not  know  what  to 
think,  and  then,  as  the  memory  of  that  warning 
telegram  came  to  him,  he  had  an  idea. 

"Were  any  strangers  in  this  cabin  before  the 
start  was  made?"  he  asked  Mr.  Mound. 

"Not  that  I  know  of,"  was  the  answer. 

"Well,  there  may  be  some  here  now,"  Tom 
said  grimly.     "Look  about." 


178      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

But  a  careful  search  revealed  no  one.  Yet 
the  young  inventor  was  sure  the  bar  of  copper, 
which  had  done  the  mischief  of  short-circuiting 
the  motor,  had  been  put  in  place  deliberately. 

In  reality  there  was  no  danger  to  the  craft, 
since  there  was  power  enough  in  the  storage  bat- 
tery to  run  it  for  several  hours.  But  the  happen- 
ing showed  Tom  he  had  still  to  reckon  with  his 
enemies. 

He  looked  at  the  height  gauge  on  the  wall  of 
the  motor-room,  and  noted  that  the  Mars  was  go- 
ing up.  In  accordance  with  Tom's  instructions 
they  were  sending  her  above  the  storm  area. 
Once  there,  with  no  gale  to  fight,  they  could 
easily  beat  their  way  back  to  a  point  above  Shop- 
ton,  and  make  the  best  descent  possible. 

And  that  was  done  while,  under  Tom's  direc- 
tion, his  men  took  the  damaged  motor  apart,  with 
a  view  to  repairing  it. 

"What  was  it,  Tom  ?"  asked  Ned,  coming  back 
to  join  his  chum,  after  George  Ventor,  the  assis- 
tant pilot,  had  taken  charge  of  the  wheel. 

"I  don't  exactly  know,  Ned,"  was  the  answer. 
"But  I  feel  certain  that  some  of  my  enemies  came 
aboard  here  and  worked  this  mischief." 

"Your  enemies  came  aboard  ?" 

"Yes,  and  they  must  be  here  now.  The  placing 
of  that  copper  bar  proves  it." 


THE  STOWAWAYS  179 

"Then  let's  make  a  search  and  find  them,  Tom. 
It  must  be  some  of  those  foreign  spies." 

"Just  what  I  think." 

But  a  more  careful  search  of  the  craft  than  the 
one  Tom  had  casually  made  revealed  the  presence 
of  no  one.  All  the  crew  and  helpers  were  ac- 
counted for,  and,  as  they  had  been  in  Tom's  ser- 
vice for  some  time,  they  were  beyond  suspicion. 
Yet  the  fact  remained  that  a  seemingly  human 
agency  had  acted  to  put  the  main  motor  out  of 
commission.    Tom  could  not  understand  it. 

"Well,  it  sure  is  queer,"  observed  Ned,  as  the 
search  came  to  nothing. 

"It's  worse  than  queer,"  declared  Tom,  "it's 
alarming!  I  don't  know  when  I'll  be  safe  if  we 
have  ghosts  aboard." 

"Ghosts?"  repeated  Ned. 

"Well,  when  we  can't  find  out  who  put  that 
bar  in  place  I  might  as  well  admit  it  was  a  ghost," 
spoke  Tom.  "Certainly,  if  it  was  done  by  a  man, 
he  didn't  jump  overboard  after  doing  it,  and  he 
isn't  here  now.    It  sure  is  queer!" 

Ned  agreed  with  the  last  statement,  at  any  rate. 

In  due  time  the  Mars,  having  fought  her  way 
above  the  storm,  came  over  Shopton,  and  then, 
the  wind  having  somewhat  died  out,  she  fought 
her  way  down,  and,  after  no  little  trouble,  was 
housed  in  the  hangar. 


180     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

Tom  cautioned  his  friends  and  workmen  to  say 
nothing  to  his  father  about  the  mysterious  hap- 
pening on  board. 

"I'll  just  tell  him  we  had  a  slight  accident,  and 
let  it  go  at  that,"  Tom  decided.  "No  use  in  caus- 
ing him  worry." 

"But  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?"  asked 
Ned. 

"I'm  going  to  keep  careful  watch  over  the  aerial 
warship,  at  any  rate,"  declared  Tom.  "If  there's 
a  hidden  enemy  aboard,  I'll  starve  him  out." 

Accordingly,  a  guard,  under  the  direction  of 
Koku,  was  posted  about  the  big  shed,  but  nothing 
came  of  it.  No  stranger  was  observed  to  sneak 
out  of  the  ship,  after  it  had  been  deserted  by  the 
crew.     The  mystery  seemed  deeper  than  ever. 

It  took  nearly  a  week  to  repair  the  big  motor, 
and,  during  this  time,  Tom  put  some  improve- 
ments on  the  airship,  and  added  the  finishing 
touches. 

He  was  getting  it  ready  for  the  final  govern- 
ment test,  for  the  authorities  in  Washington  had 
sent  word  that  they  would  have  Captain  Warner, 
in  addition  to  Lieutenant  Marbury,  make  the  final 
inspection  and  write  a  report. 

Meanwhile  several  little  things  occurred  to  an- 
noy Tom.  He  was  besieged  with  applications 
from  new  men  who  wanted  to  work,  and  many  of 


THE  STOWAWAYS  l8l 

these  men  seemed  to  be  foreigners.  Tom  was 
sure  they  were  either  spies  of  some  European 
nations,  or  the  agents  of  spies,  and  they  got  no 
further  than  the  outer  gate. 

But  some  strangers  did  manage  to  sneak  into 
the  works,  though  they  were  quickly  detected  and 
sent  about  their  business.  Also,  once  or  twice, 
small  fires  were  discovered  in  outbuildings,  but 
they  were  soon  extinguished  with  little  damage. 
Extra  vigilance  was  the  watchword. 

"And  yet,  with  all  my  precautions,  they  may 
get  me,  or  damage  something,"  declared  Tom. 
"It  is  very  annoying!" 

"It  is,"  agreed  Ned,  "and  we  must  be  doubly 
wn  the  lookout." 

So  impressed  was  Ned  with  the  necessity  for 
caution  that  he  arranged  to  take  his  vacation  at 
this  time,  so  as  to  be  on  hand  to  help  his  chum, 
if  necessary. 

The  Mars  was  nearing  completion.  The  re- 
paired motor  was  better  than  ever,  and  every- 
thing was  in  shape  for  the  final  test.  Mr.  Damon 
was  persuaded  to  go  along,  and  Koku  was  to  be 
taken,  as  well  as  the  two  government  officials. 

The  night  before  the  trip  the  guards  about  the 
airship  shed  were  doubled,  and  Tom  made  two 
visits  to  the  place  before  midnight.  But  there 
was  no  alarm. 


182      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

Consequently,  when  the  Mars  started  off  on 
her  final  test,  it  was  thought  that  all  danger  from 
the  spies  was  over. 

"She  certainly  is  a  beauty,"  said  Captain  War- 
ner, as  the  big  craft  shot  upward.  "I  shall  be 
interested  in  seeing  how  she  stands  gun  fire, 
though." 

"Oh,  she'll  stand  it,"  declared  Lieutenant  Mar- 
bury.  The  trip  was  to  consume  several  days  of 
continuous  flying,  to  test  the  engines.  A  large 
supply  of  food  and  ammunition  was  aboard. 

It  was  after  supper  of  the  first  day  out,  and 
our  friends  were  seated  in  the  main  cabin  laying 
•out  a  program  for  the  next  day,  when  sudden 
yells  came  from  a  part  of  the  motor  cabin  de- 
voted to  storage.  Koku,  who  had  been  sent  to 
get  out  a  barrel  of  oil,  was  heard  to  shout. 

"What's  up?"  asked  Tom,  starting  to  his  feet. 
He  was  answered  almost  at  once  by  more  yells. 

"Oh,  Master!  Come  quickly!"  cried  the  giant. 
"There  are  many  men  here.  There  are  stow 
aways  aboard!" 


CHAPTER   XXI 


PRISONERS 


For  a  moment,  after  hearing  Koku's  reply, 
neither  Tom  nor  his  friends  spoke.  Then  Ned, 
in  a  dazed  sort  of  way,  repeated : 

"Stowaways !" 

"Bless  my "  began  Mr.  Damon,  but  that 

was  as  far  as  he  got. 

From  the  engine  compartment,  back  of  the 
amidship  cabin,  came  a  sound  of  cries  and  heavy 
blows.  The  yells  of  Koku  could  be  heard  above 
*.hose  of  the  others. 

Then  the  door  of  the  cabin  where  Tom  Swift 
and  his  friends  were  was  suddenly  burst  open, 
and  seven  or  eight  men  threw  themselves  within. 
They  were  led  by  a  man  with  a  small,  dark 
mustache  and  a  little  tuft  of  whiskers  on  his  chin 
■ — an  imperial.  He  looked  the  typical  Frenchman, 
and  his  words,  snapped  out,  bore  out  that  belief. 

What  he  said  was  in  French,  as  Tom  under- 
stood, though  he  knew  little  of  that  language. 
Also,  what  the  Frenchman  said  produced  an  im- 
i83 


184     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

mediate  result,  for  the  men  following  him  sprang 
at  our  friends  with  overwhelming  fierceness. 

Before  Tom,  Ned,  Captain  Warner,  Mr.  Da- 
mon or  Lieutenant  Marbury  could  grasp  any 
weapon  with  which  to  defend  themselves,  had 
their  intentions  been  to  do  so,  they  were  seized. 

Against  such  odds  little  could  be  done,  though 
our  friends  did  not  give  up  without  a  struggle. 

"What  does  this  mean?"  angrily  demanded 
Tom  Swift.  "Who  are  you?  What  are  you 
doing  aboard  my  craft?    Who  are " 

His  words  were  lost  in  smothered  tones,  for 
one  of  his  assailants  put  a  heavy  cloth  over  his 
mouth,  and  tied  it  there,  gagging  him.  Another 
man,  with  a  quick  motion,  whipped  a  rope  about 
Tom's  hands  and  feet,  and  he  was  soon  securely 
bound. 

In  like  manner  the  others  were  treated,  and, 
despite  the  struggles  of  Mr.  Damon,  the  two 
government  men  and  Ned,  they  were  soon  put 
in  a  position  where  they  could  do  nothing — help- 
lessly bound,  and  laid  on  a  bench  in  the  main 
cabin,  staring  blankly  up  at  the  ceiling.  Each 
one  was  gagged  so  effectively  that  he  could  not 
utter  more  than  a   faint  moan. 

Of  the  riot  of  thoughts  that  ran  through  the 
heads  of  each  one,  I  leave  you  to  imagine. 

What  did  it  all  mean  ?    Where  had  the  strange 


PRISONERS  185 

men  come  from?  What  did  they  mean  by  thus 
assaulting  Tom  and  his  companions  ?  And  what 
had  happened  to  the  others  of  the  crew — Koku, 
Jerry  Mound,  the  engineer,  and  George  Ventor, 
the  assistant  pilot? 

These  were  only  a  few  of  the  questions  Tom 
asked  himself,  as  he  lay  there,  bound  and  helpless. 
Doubtless  Mr.  Damon  and  the  others  were  ask- 
ing themselves  similar  questions. 

One  thing  was  certain — whatever  the  stow- 
aways, as  Koku  had  called  them,  had  done,  they 
had  not  neglected  the  Mars,  for  she  was  run- 
ning along  at  about  the  same  speed,  though  in 
what  direction  Tom  could  not  tell.  He  strained 
to  get  a  view  of  the  compass  on  the  forward  wall 
of  the  cabin,  but  he  could  not  see  it. 

It  had  been  a  rough-and-tumble  fight,  by  which 
our  friends  were  made  prisoners,  but  no  one 
seemed  to  have  been  seriously,  or  even  slightly, 
hurt.  The  invaders,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
Frenchman,  were  rather  ruffled,  but  that  was  all. 

Pantingly  they  stood  in  line,  surveying  their 
captives,  while  the  man  with  the  mustache  and 
imperial  smiled  in  a  rather  superior  fashion  at 
the  row  of  bound  ones.  He  spoke  in  his  own 
tongue  to  the  men,  who,  with  the  exception  of 
one,  filed  out,  going,  as  Tom  and  the  others  could 
note,  to  the  engine-room  in  the  rear. 


186      TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

"I  hope  I  have  not  had  to  hurt  any  of  you,"  the 
Frenchman  observed,  with  sarcastic  politeness. 
"I  regret  the  necessity  that  caused  me  to  do  this, 
but,  believe  me,  it  was  unavoidable." 

He  spoke  with  some  accent,  and  Tom  at  once 
decided  this  was  the  same  man  who  had  once 
approached  Eradicate.  He  also  recognized  him 
as  the  man  he  had  seen  in  the  woods  the  day  of 
the  outing. 

"He's  one  of  the  foreign  spies,"  thought  Tom, 
"and  he's  got  us  and  the  ship,  too.  They  were 
too  many  for  us !" 

Tom's  anxiety  to  speak,  to  hold  some  converse 
with  the  captor,  was  so  obvious  that  the  French- 
man said : 

"I  am  going  to  treat  you  as  well  as  I  can  under 
the  circumstances.  You  and  your  other  friends, 
who  are  also  made  prisoners,  will  be  allowed  to 
be  together,  and  then  you  can  talk  to  your  hearts' 
content." 

The  other  man,  who  had  remained  with  the 
evident  ringleader  of  the  stowaways,  asked  a 
question,  in  French,  and  he  used  the  name  La 
Foy. 

"Ah !"  thought  Tom.  "This  is  the  leader  of 
the  gang  that  attacked  Koku  in  the  shop  that 
night.  They  have  been  waiting  their  chance,  and 
now  they  have  made  good.    But  where  did  they 


PRISONERS  187 

come  from?  Could  they  have  boarded  us  from 
some  other  airship?" 

Yet,  as  Tom  asked  himself  that  question,  he 
knew  it  could  hardly  have  been  possible.  The 
men  must  have  been  in  hiding  on  his  own  craft, 
they  must  have  been,  as  Koku  had  cried  out — 
stowaways — and  have  come  out  at  a  preconcerted 
signal  to  overpower  the  aviators. 

"If  you  will  but  have  patience  a  little  longer," 
went  on  La  Foy,  for  that  was  evidently  the  name 
of  the  leader,  "you  will  all  be  together.  We  are 
just  considering  where  best  to  put  you  so  that 
you  will  not  suffer  too  much.  It  is  quite  a  prob- 
lem to  deal  with  so  many  prisoners,  but  we  have 
no  choice." 

The  two  Frenchmen  conversed  rapidly  in  their 
own  language  for  ak<y  minutes,  and  then  there 
came  into  the  cabin  another  of  the  men  who  had 
helped  overpower  Tom  and  his  friends.  What 
he  told  La  Foy  seemed  to  give  that  individual 
satisfaction,  for  he  smiled. 

"We  are  going  to  put  you  all  together  in  the 
largest  storeroom,  which  is  partly  empty,"  La 
Foy  said.  "There  you  will  be  given  food  and 
drink,  and  treated  as  well  as  possible  under  the 
circumstances.  You  will  also  be  unbound,  and 
may  converse  among  yourselves.  I  need  hardly 
point  out,"  he  went  on,  "that  calling  for  help 


188     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

will  be  useless.  We  are  a  mile  or  so  in  the  air, 
and  have  no  intention  of  descending,"  and  he 
smiled  mockingly. 

"They  must  know  how  to  navigate  my  aerial 
warship,"  thought  Tom.  "I  wonder  what  their 
game  is,  anyhow?" 

Night  had  fallen,  but  the  cabin  was  aglow  with 
electric  lights.  The  foreigners  in  charge  of  the 
Mars  seemed  to  know  their  way  about  perfectly, 
and  how  to  manage  the  big  craft.  By  the  vibra- 
tion Tom  could  tell  that  the  motor  was  running 
evenly  and  well. 

"But  what  happened  to  the  others — to  Mound, 
Ventor  and  Koku?"  wondered  Tom. 

A  moment  later  several  of  the  foreigners  en- 
tered. Some  of  them  did  not  look  at  all  like 
Frenchmen,  and  Tom  was  sure  one  was  a  Ger- 
man and  another  a  Russian. 

"This  will  be  your  prison — for  a  while,"  said 
La  Foy  significantly,  and  Tom  wondered  how 
long  this  would  be  the  case.  A  sharp  thought 
came  to  him — how  long  would  they  be  prison- 
ers? Did  not  some  other,  and  more  terrible,  fate 
await  them  ? 

As  La  Foy  spoke,  he  opened  a  storeroom  door 
that  led  off  from  the  main,  or  amidship,  cabin. 
This  room  was  intended  to  contain  the  supplies 
and  stores  that  would  be  taken  on  a  long  voyage. 


PRISONERS  189 

It  was  one  of  two,  being  the  larger,  and  now 
contained  only  a  few  odds  and  ends  of  little  im- 
portance. It  made  a  strong  prison,  as  Tom  well 
knew,  having  planned  it. 

One  by  one,  beginning  with  Tom,  the  prisoners 
were  taken  up  and  placed  in  a  recumbent  posi- 
tion on  the  floor  of  the  storeroom.  Then  were 
brought  in  the  engineer  and  assistant  pilot,  as  well 
as  Koku  and  a  machinist  whom  Tom  had  brought 
along  to  help  him.  Now  the  young  inventor  and 
all  his  friends  were  together.  It  took  four  men 
to  carry  Koku  in,  the  giant  being  covered  with  a 
network  of  ropes. 

"On  second  thought,"  said  La  Foy,  as  he  saw 
Koku  being  placed  with  his  friends,  "I  think  we 
will  keep  the  big  man  with  us.  We  had  trouble 
enough  to  subdue  him.  Carry  him  back  to  the 
engine-room." 

So  Koku,  trussed  up  like  some  roped  steer,  was 
taken  out  again. 

"Now  then,"  said  La  Foy  to  his  prisoners,  as 
he  stood  in  the  door  of  the  room,  "I  will  unbind 
one  of  you,  and  he  may  loose  the  bonds  of  the 
others." 

As  he  spoke,  he  took  the  rope  from  Tom's 
hands,  and  then,  quickly  slipping  out,  locked  and 
barred  the  door. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


APPREHENSIONS 


For  a  moment  or  two,  after  the  ropes  binding 
his  hands  were  loosed,  Tom  Swift  did  nothing. 
He  was  not  only  stunned  mentally,  but  the  bonds 
had  been  pulled  so  tightly  about  his  wrists  that 
the  circulation  was  impeded,  and  his  cramped 
muscles  required  a  little  time  in  which  to  respond. 

But  presently  he  felt  the  tingle  of  the  coursing 
blood,  and  he  found  he  could  move  his  arms.  He 
raised  them  to  his  head,  and  then  his  first  care 
was  to  remove  the  pad  of  cloth  that  formed  a 
gag  over  his  mouth.    Now  he  could  talk. 

"1 — I'll  loosen  you  all  in  just  a  second,"  he 
said,  as  he  bent  over  to  pick  at  the  knot  of  the 
rope  around  his  legs.  His  own  voice  sounded 
strange  to  him. 

"I  don't  know  what  it's  all  about,  any  more 
than  you  do,"  he  went  on,  speaking  to  the  others. 
"It's  a  fierce  game  we're  up  against,  and  we've 
got  to  make  the  best  of  it.  As  soon  as  we  can 
move,  and  talk,  we'll  decide  what's  best  to  dp. 
190 


APPREHENSIONS  191 

Whoever  these  fellows  are,  and  I  believe  they 
are  the  foreign  spies  I've  been  warned  about, 
they  are  in  complete  possession  of  the  airship." 

Tom  found  it  no  easy  matter  to  loosen  the 
bonds  on  his  feet.  The  ropes  were  well  tied, 
and  Tom's  fingers  were  stiff  from  the  lack  of 
circulation  of  blood.  But  finally  he  managed  to 
free  himself.  When  he  stood  up  in  the  dim  store- 
room, that  was  now  a  prison  for  all  save  Koku, 
he  found  that  he  could  not  walk.  He  almost  top- 
pled over,  so  weak  were  his  legs  from  the  tight- 
ness of  the  ropes.  He  sat  down  and  worked  his 
muscles  until  they  felt  normal  again. 

A  few  minutes  later,  weak  and  rather  tottery, 
he  managed  to  reach  Mr.  Damon,  whom  he  first 
unbound.  He  realized  that  Mr.  Damon  was  the 
oldest  of  his  friends,  and,  consequently,  would 
suffer  most.  And  it  was  characteristic  of  the 
eccentric  gentleman  that,  as  soon  as  his  gag  was 
removed  he  burst  out  with: 

"Bless  my  wristlets,  Tom!  What  does  it  all 
mean  ?" 

"That's  more  than  I  can  say,  Mr.  Damon,"  re- 
plied Tom,  with  a  mournful  shake  of  his  head. 
"I'm  very  sorry  it  happened,  for  it  looks  as 
though  I  hadn't  taken  proper  care.  The  idea  of 
those  men  stowing  themselves  away  on  board 
here,  and  me  not  knowing  it;  and  then  coming 


ig2     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

out  unexpectedly  and  getting  possession  of  the 
craft !  It  doesn't  speak  very  well  for  my  smart- 
ness." 

"Oh,  well,  Tom,  anyone  might  have  been 
fooled  by  those  plotting  foreigners,"  said  Mr. 
Damon.  "Now,  we'll  try  to  turn  matters  about 
and  get  the  best  of  them.  Oh,  but  it  feels  good 
to  be  free  once  more!" 

He  stretched  his  benumbed  and  stiffened  limbs! 
and  then  helped  Tom  free  the  others.  They 
stood  up,  looking  at  each  other  in  their  dimly 
lighted  prison. 

"Well,  if  this  isn't  the  limit  I  don't  know  what 
is!"  cried  Ned  Newton. 

"They  got  the  best  of  you,  Tom,"  spoke  Lieu«* 
tenant  Marbury. 

"Are  they  really  foreign  spies  ?"  asked  Captain 
Warner. 

"Yes,"  replied  his  assistant.  "They  managed 
to  carry  out  the  plot  we  tried  to  frustrate.  It 
was  a  good  trick,  too,  hiding  on  board,  and  com- 
ing out  with  a  rush." 

"Is  that  what  they  did?"  asked  Mr.  Damon, 

"It  looks  so,"  observed  Tom.  "The  attack 
must  have  started  in  the  engine-room,"  he  went 
on,  with  a  look  at  Mound  and  Ventor.  "What 
happened  there?"  he  asked. 

"Well,  that's  about  the  way  it  was,"  answered 


"APPREHENSIONS  193 

Hie  engineer.  "We  were  working  away,  making 
some  adjustments,  oiling  the  parts  and  seeing  that 
everything  was  running  smoothly,  when,  all  at 
once,  I  heard  Koku  yell.  He  had  gone  in  the  oil 
room.  At  first  I  thought  something  had  gone 
wrong  with  the  ship,  but,  when  I  looked  at  the 
giant,  I  saw  he  was  being  attacked  by  four 
strange  men.  And,  before  I,  or  any  of  the  other 
men,  could  do  anything,  they  all  swarmed  down 
on  us. 

"There  must  have  been  a  dozen  of  them,  and 
they  simply  overwhelmed  us.  One  of  them  hit 
Koku  on  the  head  with  an  iron  bar,  and  that  took 
all  the  fight  out  of  the  giant,  or  the  story  might 
have  been  a  different  one.  As  it  was,  we  were 
overpowered,  and  that's  all  I  know  until  we  were 
carried  in  here,  and  saw  you  folks  all  tied  up  as 
we  were." 

"They  burst  in  on  us  in  the  same  way,"  Tom 
explained.  "But  where  did  they  come  from? 
Where  were  they  hiding?" 

"In  the  oil  and  gasoline  storeroom  that  opens 
out  of  the  motor  compartment,"  answered 
Mound,  the  engineer.  "It  isn't  half  full,  you 
know,  and  there's  room  for  more  than  a  dozen 
men  in  it.  They  must  have  gone  in  some  time 
last  night,  when  the  airship  was  in  the  hangar, 
and  remained  hidden  among  the  boxes  and  bar* 


xp4     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

rels  until  they  got  ready  to  come  out  and  over- 
power us." 

"That's  it,"  decided  Tom.  "But  I  don't  un- 
derstand how  they  got  in.  The  hangar  was  well 
guarded  all  night." 

"Some  of  your  men  might  have  been  bribed," 
suggested  Ned. 

"Yes,  that  is  so,"  admitted  Tom,  and,  later,  he 
learned  that  such  had  been  the  case.  The  foreign 
spies,  for  such  they  were,  had  managed  to  cor- 
rupt one  of  Tom's  trusted  employees,  who  had 
looked  the  other  way  when  La  Foy  and  his  fel- 
low-conspirators sneaked  into  the  airship  shed 
and  secreted  themselves. 

"Well,  discussing  how  they  got  on  board  isn't 
going  to  do  us  any  good  now,"  Tom  remarked 
ruefully.  "The  question  is — what  are  we  going 
to  do?" 

"Bless  my  fountain  pen!"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 
"''There's  only  one  thing  to  do !" 

"What  is  that?"  asked  Ned. 

"Why,  get  out  of  here,  call  a  policeman,  and 
have  these  scoundrels  arrested.  I'll  prosecute 
them!  I'll  have  my  lawyer  on  hand  to  see  that 
they  get  the  longest  terms  the  statutes  call  for! 
Bless  my  pocketbook,  but  I  will !"  and  Mr.  Damon 
waxed  quite  indignant. 

"That's  easier  said  than  done,"  observed  Tom 


APPREHENSIONS  195 

Swift,  quietly.  "In  the  first  place,  it  isn't  going 
to  be  an  easy  matter  to  get  out  of  here." 

He  looked  around  the  storeroom,  which  was 
then  their  prison.  It  was  illuminated  by  a  single 
electric  light,  which  showed  some  boxes  and  bar- 
rels piled  in  the  rear. 

"Nothing  in  them  to  help  us  get  out,"  Tom 
went  on,  for  he  knew  what  the  contents  were. 

"Oh,  we'll  get  out,"  declared  Ned  confidently, 
"but  I  don't  believe  we'll  find  a  policeman  ready 
to  take  our  complaint.  The  upper  air  isn't  very 
well  patrolled  as  yet." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "I  forgot 
that  we  were  in  an  airship.  But  what  is  to  be 
done,  Tom?  We  really  are  captives  aboard  our 
own  craft." 

"Yes,  worse  luck,"  returned  the  young  inven- 
tor. "I  feel  foolish  when  I  think  how  we  let 
them  take  us  prisoners." 

"We  couldn't  help  it,"  Ned  commented.  "They 
came  on  us  too  suddenly.  We  didn't  have  a 
chance.  And  they  outnumbered  us  two  to  one. 
If  they  could  take  care  of  big  Koku,  what  chance 
did  we  have?" 

"Very  little,"  said  Engineer  Mound.  "They 
were  desperate  fellows.  They  know  something 
about  aircraft,  too.  For,  as  soon  as  Koku,  Ven- 
tor  and  I  were  disposed  of,  some  of  them  went  at 


I96     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIR 

the  machinery  as  if  they  had  been  used  to  running 
it  all  their  lives." 

"Oh,  the  foreigners  are  experts  when  it  comes 
to  craft  of  the  air,"  said  Captain  Warner. 

"Well,  they  seem  to  be  running  her,  all  right,** 
admitted  the  young  inventor,  "and  at  good  speed, 
too.  They  have  increased  our  running  rate,  if  I 
am  any  judge." 

"By  several  miles  an  hour,"  confirmed  the  as- 
sistant pilot.  "Though  in  which  direction  they 
are  heading,  and  what  they  are  going  to  do  with 
us  is  more  than  I  can  guess." 

"That's  so!"  agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "What  is1 
to  become  of  us?  They  may  heave  us  overboard 
into  the  ocean!" 

"Into  the  ocean!"  cried  Ned  apprehensively* 
"Are  we  near  the  sea?" 

"We  must  be,  by  this  time,"  spoke  Tom.  "We 
were  headed  in  that  direction,  and  we  have  come 
almost  far  enough  to  put  us  somewhere  over 
the  Atlantic,  off  the  Jersey  coast." 

A  look  of  apprehension  was  on  the  faces  of  all. 
But  Tom's  face  did  not  remain  clouded  long. 

"We  won't  try  to  swim  until  we  have  to,"  he 
said.  "Now,  let's  take  an  account  of  stock,  and 
see  if  we  have  any  means  of  getting  out  of  this 
prison." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


ACROSS   THE  SEA 


With  one  accord  the  hands  of  the  captives 
sought  their  pockets.  Probably  the  first  thought 
of  each  one  was  a  knife — a  pocket-knife.  But 
blank  looks  succeeded  their  first  hopeful  ones,  for 
the  hands  came  out  empty. 

"Not  a  thing!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.  "Not 
a  blessed  thing !  They  have  even  taken  my  keys 
and — my  fountain  pen !" 

"I  guess  they  searched  us  all  while  they  were 
Struggling  with  us,  tying  us  up,"  suggested  Ned. 
"I  had  a  knife  with  a  big,  strong  blade,  but  it's 
gone." 

"So  is  mine,"  echoed  Tom. 

"And  I  haven't  even  a  screwdriver,  or  a  pock- 
et-wrench," declared  the  engineer,  "though  I  had 
both." 

"They  evidently  knew  v/hat  they  were  doing," 
said  Lieutenant  Marbury.  "I  don't  usually  carry 
a  revolver,  but  of  late  I  have  had  a  small  auto- 
matic in  my  pocket.    That's  gone,  too." 

197 


198     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"And  so  are  all  my  things,"  went  on  his  naval 
friend.  "That  Frenchman,  La  Foy,  was  taking  no 
chances." 

"WeM,  if  we  haven't  any  weapons,  or  means  of 
getting  out  of  here,  we  must  make  them,"  said 
Tom,  as  hopefully  as  he  could  under  the  circum- 
stances. "I  don't  know  all  the  things  that  were 
put  in  this  storeroom,  and  perhaps  there  may  be 
something  we  can  use." 

"Shall  we  make  the  try  now?"  asked  Ned. 
"I'm  getting  thirsty,  at  least.  Lucky  we  had 
supper  before  they  came  out  at  us." 

"Well,  there  isn't  any  water  in  here,  or  any- 
thing to  eat,  of  so  much  I  am  sure,"  went  on 
Tom.  "So  we  will  have  to  depend  on  our  cap- 
tors for  that." 

"At  least  we  can  shout  and  ask  for  water," 
said  Lieutenant  Marbury.  "They  have  no  ex- 
cuse for  being  needlessly  cruel." 

They  all  agreed  that  this  might  not  be  a  bad 
plan,  and  were  preparing  to  raise  a  united  shout, 
when  there  came  a  knock  on  the  door  of  their 
prison. 

"Are  you  willing  to  listen  to  reason?"  asked  a 
voice  they  recognized  as  that  of  La  Foy. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  reason?"  asked  Tom 
bitterly.  "You  have  no  right  to  impose  any 
conditions  on  us." 


ACROSS  THE  SEA  199 

"I  have  the  right  of  might,  and  I  intend  exer- 
cising it,"  was  the  sharp  rejoinder.  "If  you  will 
listen  to  reason " 

"Which  kind — yours  or  ours?"  asked  Tom 
pointedly. 

"Mine,  in  this  case,"  snapped  back  the  French- 
man. "What  I  was  going  to  say  was  that  I  do 
not  intend  to  starve  you,  or  cause  you  discomfort 
by  thirst.  I  am  going  to  open  the  door  and  put 
in  food  and  water.  But  I  warn  you  that  any 
attempt  to  escape  will  be  met  with  severe  meas- 
ures. 

"We  are  in  sufficient  force  to  cope  with  you. 
I  think  you  have  seen  that."  He  spoke  calmly 
and  in  perfect  English,  though  with  a  marked 
accent.  "My  men  are  armed,  and  will  stand  here 
ready  to  meet  violence  with  violence,"  he  went 
on.    "Is  that  understood  ?" 

For  a  moment  none  of  the  captives  replied. 

"I  think  it  will  be  better  to  give  in  to  him — 1 
at  least  for  a  while,"  said  Captain  Warner  in  a 
low  voice  to  Tom.  "We  need  water,  and  will 
soon  need  food.  We  can  think  and  plan  better 
if  we  are  well  nourished." 

"Then  you  think  I  should  promise  not  to  raise 
a  row?" 

"For  the  time  being — yes." 


200     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

"Well,  I  am  waiting!"  came  in  sharp  tones 
from  the  other  side  of  the  portal. 

"Our  answer  is — yes,"  spoke  Tom.  "We  will 
not  try  to  get  out — just  yet,"  he  added  signifi- 
cantly. 

A  key  was  heard  grating  in  the  lock,  and,  a 
moment  later,  the  door  slid  back.  Through  the 
opening  could  be  seen  La  Foy  and  some  of  his 
men  standing  armed.  Others  had  packages  of 
food  and  jugs  of  water.  A  plentiful  supply  of 
the  latter  was  carried  aboard  the  Mars. 

"Keep  back  from  the  door!"  was  the  stern 
command  of  La  Foy.  "The  food  and  drink  will 
be  passed  in  only  if  you  keep  away  from  the  en<- 
trance.     Remember  my  men  are  armed!" 

The  warning  was  hardly  needed,  for  the  weap^ 
ons  could  plainly  be  seen.  Tom  had  half  a  no- 
tion that  perhaps  a  concerted  rush  would  carry 
the  day  for  him  and  his  friends,  but  he  was  forced 
to  abandon  that  idea. 

While  the  guards  looked  on,  others  of  the 
"pirate  crew,"  as  Ned  dubbed  them,  passed  in 
[food  and  water.    Then  the  door  was  locked  again. 

They  all  felt  better  after  drinking  the  water, 
which  was  made  cool  by  evaporation,  for  the 
airship  was  quite  high  above  the  earth  when 
Tom's  enemies  captured  it,  and  the  young  in- 
ventor felt  sure  it  had  not  descended  any. 


"ACROSS  THE  SEA  201' 

No  one  felt  much  like  eating,  however,  so  the 
food  was  put  away  for  a  time.  And  then,  some- 
what refreshed,  they  began  looking  about  for 
some  means  of  getting  out  of  their  prison. 

"Of  course  we  might  batter  down  the  door,  in 
time,  by  using  some  of  these  boxes  as  rams," 
said  Tom.  "But  the  trouble  is,  that  would  make 
a  noise,  and  they  could  stand  outside  and  drive 
us  back  with  guns  and  pistols,  of  which  they 
seem  to  have  plenty." 

"Yes,  and  they  could  turn  some  of  your  own 
quick-firers  on  us,"  added  Captain  Warner.  "No, 
we  must  work  quietly,  I  think,  and  take  them 
unawares,  as  they  took  us.  That  is  our  only 
plan." 

"We  will  be  better  able  to  see  what  we  have 
here  by  daylight,"  Tom  said.  "Suppose  we  wait 
until  morning?" 

That  plan  was  deemed  best,  and  preparations 
made  for  spending  the  night  in  their  prison. 

It  was  a  most  uncomfortable  night  for  all  of 
them.  The  floor  was  their  only  bed,  and  their 
only  covering  some  empty  bags  that  had  con- 
tained supplies.  But  even  under  these  circum- 
stances they  managed  to  doze  off  fitfully. 

Once  they  were  all  awakened  by  a  violent 
plunging  of  the  airship.  The  craft  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  stand  on  her  head,  and  then  she  rocked 


202     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP- 

violently  from  side  to  side,  nearly  turning  turtle. 

"What  is  it  ?"  gasped  Ned,  who  was  lying  next 
to  Tom. 

"They  must  be  trying  some  violent  stunts,"  re- 
plied the  young  inventor,  "or  else  we  have  run 
into  a  storm." 

"I  think  the  latter  is  the  case,"  observed  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury. 

And,  as  the  motion  of  the  craft  kept  up,  though 
less  violently,  this  was  accepted  as  the  explana- 
tion. Through  the  night  the  Mars  flew,  but 
whither  the  captives  knew  not. 

The  first  gray  streaks  of  dawn  finally  shone 
through  the  only  window  of  their  prison.  Sore, 
lame  and  stiff,  wearied  in  body  and  disturbed  in 
mind,  the  captives  awoke.  Tom's  first  move  was 
toward  the  window.  It  was  high  up,  but,  by 
standing  on  a  box,  he  could  look  through  it.  He 
uttered  an  exclamation. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Ned,  swaying  to  and  fro 
from  the  violent  motion  <of  the  aerial  warship. 

"We  are  away  out  over  the  sea,"  spoke  Tom, 
"and  in  the  midst  of  a  bad  storm." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


THE  LIGHTNING   BOLT 


Tom  turned  away  from  the  window,  to  find  his 
companions  regarding  him  anxiously. 

"A  storm,"  repeated  Ned.    "What  sort?" 

"It  might  turn  into  any  sort,"  replied  Tom. 
"All  I  can  see  now  is  a  lot  of  black  clouds,  and 
the  wind  must  be  blowing  pretty  hard,  for  there's 
quite  a  sea  on." 

"Bless  my  galvanometer!"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"Then  we  are  out  over  the  ocean  again,  Tom?" 

"Yes,  there's  no  doubt  of  it." 

"What  part?"  asked  the  assistant  pilot. 

"That's  more  than  I  can  tell,"  Tom  answered. 

"Suppose  I  take  a  look?"  suggested  Captain 
Warner.  "I've  done  quite  a  bit  of  sailing  in  my 
time." 

But,  when  he  had  taken  a  look  through  the 
window  at  which  Tom  had  been  standing,  the 
naval  officer  descended,  shaking  his  head. 

"There   isn't   a   landmark   in   sight,"   he   an- 
nounced.   "We  might  be  over  the  middle  of  the 
Atlantic,  for  all  I  could  tell." 
203 


204     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

"Hardly  as  far  as  that,"  spoke  Tom.  "They 
haven't  been  pushing  the  Mars  at  that  speed.  But 
we  may  be  across  to  the  other  side  before  we 
realize  it." 

"How's  that?"  asked  Ned. 

"Well,  the  ship  is  in  the  possession  of  these 
foreign  spies,"  went  on  Tom.  "All  their  inter- 
ests are  in  Europe,  though  it  would  be  hard  to 
say  what  nationality  is  in  command  here.  I  think 
there  are  even  some  Englishmen  among  those 
who  attacked  us,  as  well  as  French,  Germans,  Ital- 
ians and  Russians." 

"Yes,  it  seems  to  be  a  combination  of  Euro- 
pean nations  against  us,"  admitted  Captain  War- 
ner. "Probably,  after  they  have  made  good  their 
seizure  of  Tom's  aerial  warship,  they  will  portion 
her  out  among  themselves,  or  use  her  as  a  model 
from  which  to  make  others." 

"Do  you  think  that  is  their  object?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon. 

"Undoubtedly,"  was  the  captain's  answer.  "It 
has  been  the  object  of  these  foreign  spies,  all 
along,  not  only  to  prevent  the  United  States  from 
enjoying  the  benefits  of  these  progressive  inven- 
tions, but  to  use  them  for  themselves.  They 
would  stop  at  nothing  to  gain  their  ends.  It 
seems  we  did  not  sufficiently  appreciate  their 
power  and  daring." 


THE  LIGHTNING  BOLT  205 

"Well,  they've  got  us,  at  any  rate,"  observed 
Tom,  "and  they  may  take  us  and  the  ship  to  some 
far-off  foreign  country." 

"If  they  don't  heave  us  overboard  half-way 
there,"  commented  Ned,  in  rather  gloomy  tones. 

"Well,  of  course,  there's  that  possibility,"  ad- 
mitted Tom.    "They  are  desperate  characters." 

"Well,  we  must  do  something,"  declared  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury.  "Come,  it's  daylight  now,  and 
we  can  see  to  work  better.  Let's  see  if  we  can't 
find  a  way  to  get  out  of  this  prison.  Say,  but 
this  sure  is  a  storm!"  he  cried,  as  the  airship 
rolled  and  pitched  violently. 

"They  are  handling  her  well,  though,"  ob- 
served Tom,  as  the  craft  came  quickly  to  an  even 
keel.  "Either  they  have  a  number  of  expert 
birdmen  on  board,  or  they  can  easily  adapt  them- 
selves to  a  new  aircraft.  She  is  sailing  splen- 
didly." 

"Well,  let's  eat  something,  and  set  to  work," 
jproposed  Ned. 

They  brought  out  the  food  which  had  been 
given  to  them  the  night  before,  but  before  they 
could  eat  this,  there  came  a  knock  on  the  door, 
and  more  food  and  fresh  water  was  handed  in, 
under  the  same  precautions  as  before. 

Tom  and  his  companions  indignantly  demand- 
ed to  be  released,  but  their  protests  were  only 


206     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

laughed  at,  and  while  the  guards  stood  with  ready 
weapons  the  door  was  again  shut  and  locked. 

But  the  prisoners  were  not  the  kind  to  sit  idly 
down  in  the  face  of  this.  Under  Tom's  direction 
they  set  about  looking  through  their  place  of  cap- 
tivity for  something  by  which  they  could  release 
themselves.  At  first  they  found  nothing,  and 
Ned  even  suggested  trying  to  cut  a  way  through 
the  wooden  walls  with  a  fingernail  file,  which 
he  found  in  one  of  his  pockets,  when  Tom,  who 
had  gone  to  the  far  end  of  the  storeroom,  uttered 
a  cry. 

"What  is  it — a  way  out?"  asked  Lieutenant 
Marbury  anxiously. 

"No,  but  means  to  that  end,"  Tom  replied. 
"Look,  a  file  and  a  saw,  left  here  by  some  of  my 
workmen,  perhaps,"  and  he  brought  out  the  tools. 
He  had  found  them  behind  a  barrel  in  the  far 
end  of  the  compartment. 

"Hurray!"  cried  Ned.  "That's  the  ticket t 
Now  we'll  soon  show  these  fellows  what's  what !" 

"Go  easy!"  cautioned  Tom.  "We  must  work 
carefully.  It  won't  do  to  slam  around  and  try  to 
break  down  the  door  with  these.  I  think  we  had 
better  select  a  place  on  the  side  wall,  break  through 
that,  and  make  an  opening  where  we  can  come 
out  unnoticed.  Then,  when  we  are  ready,  we  can 
take  them  by  surprise.    We'll  have  to  do  some- 


THE  LIGHTNING  BOLT  207 

thing  like  that,  for  they  outnumber  us,  you 
know." 

"That  is  so,"  agreed  Captain  Warner.  "We 
must  use  strategy." 

"Well,  where  would  be  a  good  place  to  begin 
to  burrow  out?"  asked  Ned. 

"Here,"  said  Torn,  indicating  a  place  far  back 
in  the  room.  "We  can  work  there  in  turns,  saw- 
ing a  hole  through  the  wall.  It  will  bring  us  out 
in  the  passage  between  the  aft  and  'midship  cab- 
ins, and  we  can  go  either  way." 

"Then  let's  begin !"  cried  Ned  enthusiastically, 
and  they  set  to  work. 

While  the  aerial  warship  pitched  and  tossed  in 
the  storm,  over  some  part  of  the  Atlantic,  Tom 
and  his  friends  took  turns  in  working  their  way 
to  freedom.  With  the  sharp  end  of  the  file  a 
small  hole  was  made,  the  work  being  done  as 
slowly  as  a  rat  gnaws,  so  as  to  make  no  noise  that 
would  be  heard  by  their  captors.  In  time  the 
hole  was  large  enough  to  admit  the  end  of  the 
saw. 

But  this  took  many  hours,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  second  day  of  their  captivity  that  they  had 
the  hole  nearly  large  enough  for  the  passage  of 
one  person  at  a  time.  They  had  not  been  dis- 
covered, they  thought. 

Meanwhile  they  had  been  given  food  and  water 


208     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIB 

at  intervals,  but  to  all  demands  that  they  be  re- 
leased, or  at  least  told  why  they  were  held  pris- 
oners, a  deaf  ear  was  turned. 

They  could  only  guess  at  the  fate  of  Koku. 
Probably  the  giant  was  kept  bound,  for  once  he 
got  the  chance  to  use  his  enormous  strength  it 
might  go  hard  with  the  foreigners. 

The  Mars  continued  to  fly  through  the  air. 
Sometimes,  as  Tom  and  his  friends  could  tell  by 
the  motion,  she  was  almost  stationary  in  the 
upper  regions,  and  again  she  seemed  to  be  flying 
at  top  speed.  Occasionally  there  came  the  sound 
of  firing. 

"They're  trying  my  guns,"  observed  Tom 
grimly. 

"Do  you  suppose  they  are  being  attacked  ?* 
asked  Ned,  hopefully. 

"Hardly,"  replied  Captain  Warner.  "The 
United  States  possesses  no  craft  able  to  cope 
with  this  one  in  aerial  warfare,  and  they  are 
hardly  engaging  in  part  of  the  European  war  yet. 
I  think  they  are  just  trying  Tom's  new  guns." 

Later  our  friends  learned  that  such  was  the 
case. 

The  storm  had  either  passed,  or  the  Mars  had 
run  out  of  the  path  of  it,  for,  after  the  first  few 
hours  of  pitching  and  tossing,  the  atmosphere 
deemed  reduced  to  a  state  of  calm. 


THE  LIGHTNING  BOLT  20$ 

All  the  while  they  were  secretly  working  to 
gain  their  freedom  so  they  might  attack  and 
overpower  their  enemies,  they  took  occasional  ob- 
servations from  the  small  window.  But  they 
could  learn  nothing  of  their  whereabouts.  They 
could  only  view  the  heaving  ocean,  far  below 
them,  or  see  a  mass  of  cloud-mist,  which  hid  the 
earth,  if  so  be  that  the  Mars  was  sailing  over 
land. 

"But  how  much  longer  can  they  keep  it  up?" 
asked  Ned. 

"Well,  we  have  fuel  and  supplies  aboard  for 
nearly  two  weeks,"  Tom  answered. 

"And  by  the  end  of  that  time  we  may  all  be 
dead,"  spoke  the  young  bank  clerk  despondently. 

"No,  we'll  be  out  of  here  before  then!"  de- 
clared Lieutenant  Marbury. 

Indeed  the  hole  was  now  almost  large  enough 
to  enable  them  to  crawl  out  one  at  a  time.  They 
could  not,  of  course,  see  how  it  looked  from  the 
outside,  but  Tom  had  selected  a  place  for  its  cut- 
ting so  that  the  sawdust  and  the  mark  of  the 
panel  that  was  being  removed,  would  not  ordi- 
narily be  noticeable. 

They  set  night  as  the  time  for  making  the 
attempt — late  at  night,  when  it  was  hoped  that 
most  of  their  captors  would  be  asleep. 

Finally  the  last  cut  was  made,  and  a  piece  of 


2IO     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

wood  hung  over  the  opening  only  by  a  shred,  all 
ready  to  knock  out. 

"We'll  do  it  at  midnight,"  announced  Tom. 

Anxious,  indeed,  were  those  last  hours  of  wait- 
ing. The  time  had  almost  arrived  for  the  at- 
tempt, when  Tom,  who  had  been  nervously  pac- 
ing to  and  fro,  remarked : 

"We  must  be  running  into  another  storm.  Feel 
how  she  heaves  and  rolls!" 

Indeed  the  Mars  was  most  unsteady. 

"It  sure  is  a  storm !"  cried  Ned,  "and  a  heavy 
one,  too,"  for  there  came  a  burst  of  thunder,  that 
seemed  like  a  report  of  Tom's  giant  cannon. 

In  another  instant  they  were  in  the  midst  of  a 
violent  thunderstorm,  the  airship  pitching  and 
tossing  in  a  manner  to  almost  throw  them  from 
their  feet. 

As  Tom  reached  up  to  switch  on  the  electric 
light  again,  there  came  a  flash  of  lightning  that 
well  nigh  blinded  them.  And  so  close  after  it  as 
to  seem  simultaneous,  there  came  such  a  crash  of 
thunder  as  to  stun  them  all.  There  was  a  tin- 
gling, as  of  a  thousand  pins  and  needles  in  the 
body  of  each  of  the  captives,  and  a  strong  smell  of 
sulphur.  Then,  as  the  echoes  of  the  clap  died 
away,  Tom  yelled : 

"She's  been  struck!  The  airship  has  been 
struck !" 


CHAPTER  XXV 


FREEDOM 


For  a  moment  there  was  silence,  following 
Tom's  wild  cry  and  the  noise  of  the  thunderclap. 
Then,  as  other,  though  less  loud  reverberations  of 
the  storm  continued  to  sound,  the  captives  awoke 
to  a  realization  of  what  had  happened.  They 
had  been  partially  stunned,  and  were  almost  as 
in  a  dream. 

"Are — are  we  all  right  ?"  stammered  Ned. 

"Bless  my  soul!  What  has  happened?"  cried 
Mr.  Damon. 

"We've  been  struck  by  lightning!"  Tom  re- 
peated. "I  don't  know  whether  we're  all  right  or 
not." 

"We  seem  to  be  falling !"  exclaimed  Lieutenant 
Marbury. 

"If  the  whole  gas  bag  isn't  ripped  to  pieces 
we're  lucky,"  commented  Jerry  Mound. 

Indeed,  it  was  evident  that  the  Mars  was  sink- 
ing rapidly.     To  all  there  came  the  sensation  of 
riding  in  an  elevator  in  a  skyscraper  and  being 
dropped  a  score  of  stories. 
211 


212     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

Then,  as  they  stood  there  in  the  darkness,  il- 
luminated only  by  flashes  from  the  lightning  out- 
side the  window,  waiting  for  an  unknown  fate, 
Tom  Swift  uttered  a  cry  of  delight. 

"We've  stopped  falling!"  he  cried.  "The  auto- 
matic gas  machine  is  pumping.  Part  of  the  gas 
bag  was  punctured,  but  the  unbroken  compart- 
ments hold !" 

"If  part  of  the  gas  leaked  out  I  don't  see  why 
it  wasn't  all  set  on  fire  and  exploded,"  observed 
Captain  Warner. 

"It's  a  non-burnable  gas,"  Tom  quickly  ex- 
plained. "But  come  on.  This  may  be  our  very 
chance.  There  seems  to  be  something  going  on 
that  may  be  in  our  favor." 

Indeed  the  captives  could  hear  confused  cries, 
and  the  running  to  and  fro  of  many  feet. 

He  made  for  the  sawed  panel,  and,  in  another 
instant,  had  burst  out  and  was  through  it,  out  into 
the  passageway  between  the  after  and  amidship 
cabins.    His  companions  followed  him. 

They  looked  into  the  rear  cabin,  or  motor  com- 
partment, and  a  scene  of  confusion  met  their  gaze. 
Two  of  the  foreign  men  who  had  seized  the  ship 
lay  stretched  out  on  the  floor  near  the  humming 
machinery,  which  had  been  left  to  run  itself.  A1 
look  in  the  other  direction,  toward  the  main 
cabin,  showed  a  group  of  the  foreign  spies  bend- 


FREEDOM  213 

ing  over  the  inert  body  of  La  Foy,  the  French- 
man, stretched  out  on  a  couch. 

"What  has  happened?"  cried  Ned.  "What 
does  it  all  mean?" 

"The  lightning!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "The  bolt 
that  struck  the  ship  has  knocked  out  some  of 
our  enemies !    Now  is  the  time  to  attack  them !" 

The  Mars  seemed  to  have  passed  completely 
through  a  narrow  storm  belt.  She  was  now  in  a 
quiet  atmosphere,  though  behind  her  could  be 
seen  the  fitful  play  of  lightning,  and  there  could 
be  heard  the  distant  rumble  of  thunder. 

"Come  on !"  cried  Tom.  "We  must  act  quickly, 
while  they  are  demoralized !    Come  on !" 

His  friends  needed  no  further  urging.  Jerry 
Mound  and  the  machinist  rushed  to  the  engine- 
room,  to  look  after  any  of  the  enemy  that  might 
be  there,  while  Tom,  Ned  and  the  others  ran  into 
the  middle  cabin. 

"Grab  'em !  Tie  'em  up !"  cried  Tom,  for  they 
tiad  no  weapons  with  which  to  make  an  attack. 

But  none  were  needed.  So  stunned  were  the 
foreigners  by  the  lightning  bolt,  which  had  mirac- 
ulously passed  our  friends,  and  so  unnerved  by 
the  striking  down  of  La  Foy,  their  leader,  that 
they  seemed  like  men  half  asleep.  Before  they 
could  offer  any  resistance  they  were  bound  with 
the  same  ropes  that  had  held  our  friends  in  bon- 


214     T0M  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP. 

dage.  That  is,  all  but  the  big  Frenchman  himself. 
He  seemed  beyond  the  need  of  binding. 

Mound,  the  engineer,  and  his  assistant,  came 
hurrying  in  from  the  motor-room,  followed  by 
Koku. 

"We  found  him  chained  up,"  Jerry  explained, 
as  the  big  giant,  freed  from  his  captivity,  rubbed 
his  chafed  wrists. 

"Are  there  any  of  the  foreigners  back  there?" 

"Only  those  two  knocked  out  by  the  lightning," 
the  engineer  explained.  "We've  made  them  se- 
cure.   I  see  you've  got  things  here  in  shape." 

"Yes,"  replied  Tom.  "And  now  to  see  where 
we  are,  and  to  get  back  home.  Whew!  But 
this  has  been  a  time!  Koku,  what  happened  to 
you?" 

"They  no  let  anything  happen.  I  be  in  chains 
all  the  while,"  the  giant  answered.  "Jump  on  me 
before  I  can  do  anything!" 

"Well,  you're  out,  now,  and  I  think  we'll  have 
you  stand  guard  over  these  men.  The  tables 
are  turned,  Koku." 

The  bound  ones  were  carried  to  the  same  prison 
whence  our  friends  had  escaped,  but  their  bonds 
were  not  taken  off,  and  Koku  was  put  in  the 
place  with  them.  By  this  time  La  Foy  and  the 
two  other  stricken  men  showed  signs  of  returning 
life.    They  had  only  been  stunned. 


FREEDOM  215 

The  young  inventor  and  his  friends,  once  more 
in  possession  of  their  airship,  lost  little  time  in 
planning  to  return.  They  found  that  the  spies 
were  all  expert  aeronauts,  and  had  kept  a  careful 
chart  of  their  location.  They  were  then  halfway 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  in  a  short  time  longer 
would  probably  have  been  in  some  foreign  coun- 
try.   But  Tom  turned  the  Mars  about. 

The  craft  had  only  been  slightly  damaged  by 
the  lightning  bolt,  though  three  of  the  gas  bag 
compartments  were  torn.  The  others  sufficed, 
however,  to  make  the  ship  sufficiently  buoyant. 
1  When  morning  came  Tom  and  his  friends  had 
matters  running  almost  as  smoothly  as  before 
their  capture. 

The  prisoners  had  no  chance  to  escape,  and,  in- 
deed, they  seemed  to  have  been  broken  in  spirit. 
La  Foy  was  no  longer  the  insolent,  mocking 
Frenchman  that  he  had  been,  and  the  two  chief 
foreign  engineers  seemed  to  have  lost  some  of 
their  reason  when  the  lightning  struck  them. 

"But  it  was  a  mighty  lucky  and  narrow  escape 
for  us,"  said  Ned,  as  he  and  Tom  sat  in  the  pilot- 
house the  second  day  of  the  return  trip. 

"That's  right,"  agreed  his  chum. 

Once  again  they  were  above  the  earth,  and, 
desiring  to  get  rid  as  soon  as  possible  of  the 
presence  of  the  spies,  a  landing  was  made  near 


2l6     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  V/ARSHIR 

New  York  City,  and  the  government  authorities 
communicated  with.  Captain  Warner  and  Lieu- 
tenant Marbury  took  charge  of  the  prisoners, 
with  some  Secret  Service  men,  and  the  foreign- 
ers were  soon  safely  locked  up. 

"And  new  what  are  you  going  to  do,  Tom?'* 
asked  Ned,  when,  once  more,  they  had  the  air- 
ship  to  themselves. 

"I'm  going  back  to  Shopton,  fix  up  the  gas 
bag,  and  give  her  another  government  trial,"  was 
the  answer. 

And,  in  due  time,  this  was  done.  Tom  added 
some  improvements  to  the  aircraft,  making  it 
better  than  ever,  and  when  she  was  given  the 
test  required  by  the  government,  she  was  an  un- 
qualified success,  and  the  rights  to  the  Mars  were 
purchased  for  a  large  sum.  In  sailing,  and  in 
the  matter  of  guns  and  bombs,  Tom's  craft  an- 
swered every  test. 

"So  you  see  I  was  right,  after  all,  Dad,"  the 
young  inventor  said,  when  informed  that  he  had 
succeeded.  "We  can  shoot  off  even  bigger  guns 
than  I  thought  from  the  deck  of  the  Mars." 

"Yes,  Tom,"  replied  the  aged  inventor,  "I  ad- 
mit I  was  wrong." 

Tom's  aerial  warship  was  even  a  bigger  suc- 
cess than  he  had  dared  to  hope.  Once  the  gov- 
ernment men  fully  understood  how  to  run  it,  in 


FREEDOM  217 

which  Tom  played  a  prominent  part  in  giving 
instructions,  they  put  the  Mars  to  a  severe  test. 
She  was  taken  out  over  the  ocean,  and  her  guns 
trained  on  an  obsolete  battleship.  Her  bombs 
and  projectiles  blew  the  craft  to  pieces. 

"The  Mars  will  be  the  naval  terror  of  the  seas] 
in  any  future  war,"  predicted  Captain  Warner. 

The  Secret  Service  men  succeeded  in  unearth- 
ing all  the  details  of  the  plot  against  Tom.  His 
life,  at  times,  had  been  in  danger,  but  at  the  last 
minute  the  man  detailed  to  harm  him  lost  his 
nerve. 

It  was  Tom's  enemies  who  had  set  on  fire  the 
red  shed,  and  who  later  tried  to  destroy  the  ship 
by  putting  a  corrosive  acid  in  one  of  the  propel- 
lers. That  plot,  though,  was  not  wholly  success- 
ful. Then  came  the  time  when  one  of  the  spies 
hid  on  board,  and  dropped  the  copper  bar  on  the 
motor,  short-circuiting  it.  But  for  the  storage- 
battery  that  scheme  might  have  wrought  fearful 
damage.  The  spy  who  had  stowed  himself  away 
on  the  craft  escaped  at  night  by  the  connivance 
of  one  of  Tom's  corrupt  employees. 

The  foreign  spies  were  tried  and  found  guilty, 
receiving  merited  punishment.  Of  course  the 
governments  to  which  they  belonged  disclaimed 
any  part  in  the  seizure  of  Tom's  aerial  warship. 

It  came  out  at  the  trial  that  one  of  Tom's  most 


2l8     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP, 

trusted  employees  had  proved  a  traitor,  and  hady 
the  night  before  the  test,  allowed  the  foreign 
spies  to  secrete  themselves  on  board,  to  rush  out 
at  an  opportune  time  to  overpower  our  hero  and 
his  friends.    But  luck  was  with  Tom  at  the  end. 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  tackle  next, 
Tom?"  asked  Ned,  one  day  about  a  month  after 
these  exciting  experiences. 

"I  don't  know,"  was  the  slow  answer.  "I 
think  a  self-swinging  hammock,  under  an  apple 
tree,  with  a  never-emptying  pitcher  of  ice-cold 
lemonade  would  be  about  the  thing." 

"Good,  Tom!  And,  if  you'll  invent  that,  Ffij 
share  it  with  you." 

"Well,  come  on,  let's  begin  now,"  laughed 
Tom.     "I  need  a  vacation,  anyhow." 

But  it  is  very  much  to  be  doubted  if  Tom 
Swift,  even  on  a  vacation,  could  refrain  from 
trying  to  invent  something,  either  in  the  line  of 
airships,  water,  or  land  craft.  And  so,  until  he 
again  comes  to  the  front  with  something  new,  we 
will  take  leave  of  him. 


THE  END 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 

Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author  ? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 


Use  it  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  ^But  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
Publishers   for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE    TOM    SWIFT    SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Uniform    Style    of   Binding.      Individual    Colored   Wrappers. 
Every   Volume   Complete  in   Itself. 

Every   boy  possesses  some   form   of   inventive  genius. 
Tom  Swift  is  a  bright,  ingenious  boy  and  his  inventions 
and  adventures  make  the  most  interesting  kind  of  reading. 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS   MESSAGE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 
TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  TUNNEL 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WAR  TANK 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  SCOUT 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  UNDERSEA  SEARCH 
TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  FIRE  FIGHTERS 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  LOCOMOTIVE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  FLYING  BOAT 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  OIL  GUSHER 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  CHEST  OF  SECRETS 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRLINE  EXPRESS 
TOM  SWIFT  CIRCLING  THE  GLOBE 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  TALKING  PICTURES 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  HOUSE  ON  WHEELS 

Grosset  &  Dunlap,        Publishers,        New  York 


